Chinese Province Promotes Unwed Motherhood

Worried over the fast-declining birth rate, China’s southwestern province of Sichuan has decided to allow unmarried people to have children legally and also enjoy benefits earlier only reserved for married couples.

As per the new rule of Sichuan province, any single individual can raise a family. Earlier rules allowed only married people to give birth. According to sources, now China is facing the problem of a severe fall in the marriage and birth rates.

According to Sichuan’s health commission, a married couple or any individual who wants to have children will be allowed to have offspring from February 15. People can register with the government in China’s Sichuan if they want to have children. There is also no limit to the number of children they can register for.

Till now, Sichuan’s health commission had allowed only married couples who wanted to have up to two children to register with local authorities.

In China, married couples have to register with local authorities to ensure maternity insurance covers medical bills. Married women get their salary during maternity leave. Now unmarried mothers will gate the same benefit in Sichuan province.

China’s drastic fall in birth rate is because of its strict one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015.