Beijing has been promoting various measures to try to make having children more attractive to young couples after China posted a second consecutive year of population decline in 2023.
China has the second-biggest population in the world at 1.4 billion, but it is ageing quickly, which will increase the demands on government spending in the future and put pressure on the economy.
College students will be the biggest driver of fertility but they have significantly changed their views on marriage and love, the Jiangsu Xinhua newspaper group said, citing China Population News, an official publication.
"Colleges and universities should assume the responsibility of providing marriage and love education to college students by offering marriage and love education courses," the publication said.
The measures would help create a "healthy and positive marriage and childbearing cultural atmosphere."
The state council, or cabinet, rallied local governments in November to direct resources towards fixing China's population decline and spread respect for childbearing and marriages "at the right age," although demographers said the moves were unlikely to resonate with young Chinese.
Around 57% of college students polled by China Population News said they did not want to fall in love, mainly because they did not know how to allocate time to balance the relationship between study and love, the publication said.
Due to the lack of "systematic and scientific marriage and love education, college students have a vague understanding of emotional relationships."
Universities could focus on teaching junior college students about population and national conditions, new marriage and childbearing concepts, it said.
Senior college students and graduate students could be taught through "case analysis, group discussion on maintaining intimate relationships and communication between the sexes."
The courses would be able to help them "improve their ability to correctly understand marriage and love and manage love relationships."
Read next
16:38
Does the aging process speed up in space? Oxford's Space Innovation Lab has sent human tissue samples to the International Space Station to investigate how microgravity might affect the aging process, potentially leading to breakthroughs in age-related diseases
12:21
As Donald Trump gets ready to take office soon, his cabinet picks signal a renewed focus on trade relations with Asia. With a blend of hawkish policymakers and market-oriented figures, Trump’s team suggests a dual strategy aimed at confronting China while leveraging American economic influence
09:57
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) released a video showing what it says were a Chinese navy and coast guard vessel taking "aggressive actions" against a routine patrol by it and the fisheries bureau near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday (December 4).
16:17
China has banned the export of gallium, germanium, antimony, and related materials to the United States, citing national security concerns, its commerce ministry announced on Tuesday.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment