Chen Huijuan was spending a happy and comfortable life before her son birth, as she used to share her clothing, skincare products and socialize with her friends happily. Currently, due to her financial issues, she even falters to purchase a new outfit. Chen earning in a month is about 5,000 Yuan ($730), and she is serving as a teacher in high school. Whereas her husband’s income in a month is about 16,000 Yuan ($2500) besides he is working with an American company for the sales department.

Variation Between the Income and Child Expense

Bringing up two years old son, Xiyan, Chen and her husband spend a minimum third part of their annual income. However, if we compare the same stationed family with the United States, it costs a fifth of their yearly salary to raise a single child.

The current financial status of Chen reflects the complications facing lots of middle-class families all-over China. That is the main reason due to which Communist party, the ruling party in China is struggling to raise the country’s birth rate. According to Huijuan, she is unable to afford a second child due to all their financial status and expenditures of their first child.

In 2016, the ruling party enforced its controversial and savagely violent one-child policy that’s why couples limited to a single child. The officials and Beijing were not expecting the policy’s result. According to the National Bureau of Statistics in 2018, the birth growth rate slowed by about 15.23 million as it has a decline of 2 million from the year 2017.

Early in 2017 according to a study over fifty percent of families in China have seriously no intention of having a second child and the reason behind this was the expense and cost they are facing. Likely Chen, as she expressed that she will never have thought of a second child because it is much expensive for her family.

Conflict of China in Economic Growth and Workforce

The ruling party is facing a severe problem that they are focusing on their economic growth, but they are struggling due to the workforce reduction. In 2017, official figures revealed that over 240 million Chinese were more than 60 years old, and that was above 17% of the overall population. The statistics show that the population rise to 3rd of the population or 480 million people up to the year 2050. Furthermore, it is a strong belief that China’s population is shrinking in such a way that it is a fear that China will get old before it gets rich by 2030.

Baby with Million Dollar

Experts and parents expressed that the budget to raise a single child in China has multiplied. Due to which living standards in the country enhanced but the public trust in domestic products weekend. Such as if we take the example of Chen, for her son she never bought a baby formula of a Chinese brand instead of choosing expensive foreign imported brands.

The unfortunate mishap recorded in 2008 when the spoiled baby milk killed six babies. That tainted milk cause urinary tract problems and kidney stones in hundreds and thousands of kids. Due to this scandal parents in China still feared when they think for a moment.

Like many other Chinese, Chen doesn’t have a little bit of trust in local food due to which she forced to eat imported salmon, beef and cod.

Deputy Director of HK University Wang Dan Statement

According to the deputy director of Hong Kong University’s Wah Ching Center of Research on Education Mrs. Wang Dan, the cost of entertainment and education is also a severe drain. She added; many people in China use to got free or of minimal cost public education up to 1990. But unfortunately, now education becomes a big financial industry. That is the reason the overall expenses of education will driven up.

The associate professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Manhong Lai said that the Chinese people always feeling stressed to study at a young age. Moreover, Lai said that due to the one-child policy, the parents more focused to pay attention to their only child education. Due to the reason, they invest more in education to educate better their child. That all result parents to compete in a race of good schools and they pressurize their children to compete with other students.

Her husband and Chen use to spend about 5000 Yuan ($737) monthly for the expense of their child in a daycare center. Rather than educational expense families also beaten by other extracurricular activities of their kids.

Growing of Medical Expense

Besides educational expenses, parents also worried that the essential medical funds provided by the government are not enough to cover all sever aliments. In this regard, Chen also told that her son suffered from stomach and intestinal problems up to years after his birth and he had to visit the doctor once a month.

It is also a worse fact that among developed countries China has one of the awful doctor-to-patient ratios. Patients usually need to give bribe to their doctors for better medical treatments, and Chen did it for her son. Her son’s annual private medical insurance bill is about 15000 Yuan ($2,200).

 Subsidies for 2nd Kid

On the other hand, now authorities are giving subsidies to those parents who are having or planning second kid — subsidies like extended maternity leave and financial assistance for baby formula. Moreover, a city in the province of Hubei is offering free of cost delivery to the women having a second kid. Similarly, another city they offered 1200 Yuan ($179) to a family having a second child. At present, there are some rumors that the Beijing government may drain their one-child-birth policy to raise their countries birth rates. But in Chen and many other parent’s opinions that it must be entirely up-to-the parents either they want a single or more child. Because it’s your own life and you have entirely right to take your decisions according to your wish and circumstances.  She stated that for her one child is enough which she can afford regarding money and her energies.