Proposal for Mandatory Sex Education in China Amidst Declining Birth Rates

Chen Wei, who serves in China’s National People’s Congress, suggested on Wednesday that sex education should be mandatory for kindergarteners, an effort aimed at addressing the country’s dwindling birth rate.

In her role as an assistant at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Chen commented to the state-run Global Times that “China’s sex education still has a long way to go compared to international standards.”

She emphasized that while last year she had called for the development of local sex education textbooks, the situation remains challenging. Chen noted that although new resources have been introduced, the need for qualified teachers is still unmet.

Her current proposal includes establishing “dedicated programs to train sex education teachers” across all educational levels. This would move away from having biology teachers cover sex education as a secondary responsibility. Additionally, she advocates for a more comprehensive curriculum to be implemented at a much younger age, starting in kindergarten.

“The curriculum needs to cover comprehensive themes including relationships, gender, and rights,” she stated.

The Global Times pointed out that in 2021, China’s ruling State Council laid out a framework for sex education, which aimed to integrate it fully into the basic education system, along with providing guidelines for parental discussions about sex.

However, it remains uncertain how effective early sex education might be in increasing birth rates. Much of that would depend on what exactly these certified educators convey to young children regarding sexual topics.

A survey published by the National Institutes of Health revealed in 2022 that sex education has significantly dropped, which could potentially lead to more unplanned pregnancies. China’s educational efforts are clearly focused on promoting marriage and childbearing among the youth, though countries with secular governments face their own challenges in persuading young people to prioritize family over stability in education and careers.

According to China’s recent five-year plan, there is a goal to “modernize” its population by significantly increasing its per capita GDP by 2035.

This plan acknowledges the “demographic challenges” posed by declining birth rates and an aging population, which further complicate the country’s modernization goals.

The new five-year strategy proposes various measures to leverage demographic advantages, particularly given the context of a shrinking population. This includes “fertility support and incentives” and aligning educational resources with demographic changes.

A report from the American Enterprise Institute indicated last week that China’s “fertility crisis” has emerged sooner than anticipated. It projected that demographic data from 2025 will reveal that China will be nearly 60% below the fertility level necessary for long-term population stability, a more pressing issue than the five-year plan recognizes.

They also noted that maintaining current birth trends could lead to a scenario where every 100 women of childbearing age would only give rise to 43 future daughters and 18 potential granddaughters.

Concerns are mounting that by 2050, China’s working-age population could drop by over 25%, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of men of military age. Furthermore, longer life expectancies outlined in the Five-Year Plan might lead to a higher ratio of older retirees to younger workers than ever before. The reduction of extended families also complicates the situation for the aging population, as future retirees may not have the same familial support that previous generations enjoyed.

In recent comments, analysts from South China Morning Post conveyed optimism that the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) could substantially enhance productivity. This technology could allow a shrinking workforce to support an aging population, which may help alleviate the demographic issues faced by not only China but also South Korea and Japan.

Currently, South Korea holds the title for the highest ratio of robots to human workers globally, with around 1,012 industrial robots for every 10,000 employed in manufacturing—twice that of Japan or China, and much higher than the global average.

Predictions indicate a gradual transition among Asia’s industrial nations from seeking to boost persistently low birth rates towards embracing AI as a solution for maintaining economic growth. For instance, the Bank of Korea has raised alarms that a declining populace may lead to a 16.5% drop in GDP by 2050, yet with AI actively utilized, that decline could shrink to 5.9%.

However, as birth rates decline, the benefits of AI might not be enough to counterbalance reduced household consumption, resulting in wage drops. The South China Morning Post speculates that Asia might soon witness large-scale automation efforts, showcasing how AI could potentially ease the burdens of declining birth rates and an aging demographic.