Lai Proposes New Subsidies To Turn Around Taiwan’s Birth Rate Crisis

TaiwanPlus News

President Lai Ching-te has called Taiwan's fertility crisis a “national security issue” and proposed new monthly subsidies of around US$150 per month for all children through age 18. But policy experts warn cash incentives alone may not solve deeper problems facing young families. Some say long working hours, career pressures and a lack of work-life balance are major reasons many Taiwanese are delaying or avoiding parenthood.

Transcript

00:00Taiwan's population of 23 million is shrinking, thanks to one of the world's lowest birth rates,

00:06and the government says that's a big problem.

00:19In an address marking two years in office,

00:23Taiwan President Lai Ching-de announced expanded subsidies of about $150 per month per child

00:29through the age of 18. He says this will help lessen the financial burden parents face.

00:35While some child care policy experts welcomed the move,

00:38others said that a cash subsidy could actually make things worse for some parents.

00:58This policy advocate says a similar subsidy in Poland had limited results in boosting the birth rate,

01:04and even reinforced traditional gender roles. But the biggest cost of having children may not be money.

01:11Some young Taiwanese brought up concerns about the toll raising kids takes on their personal lives and career ambitions.

01:17I think money is a part of the problem, but I think the biggest part of the problem is to

01:24take care of the child's energy,

01:26and to give a huge amount of energy.

01:29So now people may think that their life is too busy,

01:32and they still need to travel, etc.

01:36That's the lack of energy to lose the child's energy.

01:39No, I don't think it's necessary to take care of the child's energy, but I think it's necessary to take

01:43care of the child's energy and care of the child's energy.

01:53Policy advocates agree that giving prospective parents the time to be parents

01:58is one of the most important factors in increasing the birth rate.

02:01Known as time poverty, it affects families disproportionately, and is something that money can't fix.

02:08The government has plans to improve work-life balance, and to encourage workplaces to offer flexible child care leave policies.

02:27And the labor ministry says it's working on giving funding to companies to compensate for the lost labor when parents

02:34take leave.

02:35But until these prospective parents see real change,

02:38young people will keep thinking seriously about whether or not they even want to have children.

02:43Patrick Chen, Irene Lin, and Tiffany Wong in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended