Chinese women of childbearing age need to improve their fertility intention

In recent years, China has been promoting the construction of a fertility support policy system. From the comprehensive two-child policy in 2016 to the open three-child policy in 2021, the national level has continuously introduced measures to improve the level of prenatal and postnatal care services. At present, all provinces have generally established extended maternity leave, spousal paternity leave and parental leave, and maternity leave has been extended to more than 158 days. In addition, the comprehensive prevention and treatment capabilities of birth defects continue to improve, and the pre-pregnancy check rate, prenatal screening rate during pregnancy, and newborn screening rates for genetic metabolic diseases and hearing impairment have all reached high levels.

China has implemented the “universal two-child policy” and the “three-child policy”. The comprehensive two-child policy was officially implemented on January 1, 2016, allowing all couples to have two children. The three-child policy was officially implemented on August 20, 2021 through amendments to the Population and Family Planning Law, allowing a couple to have three children.

China's total fertility rate has experienced significant changes. In the early days of the founding of New China, the total fertility rate was high, but with the implementation of the family planning policy, the fertility rate gradually declined. At present, China's total fertility rate has been below the replacement level for a long time, which has affected population growth. ‌ According to data from China's ‌Seventh National Census, there are an average of 1.66 children per family in China.