The Causes of Low Birth Rate in Taiwan
According to the World Population Review in the past few years, Taiwan has one of the lowest birth rates around the world. Nevertheless, everything happens for a reason, so what are the reasons behind our current situation? In 2020, the statistics indicates that there are only 8.409 births per 1,000 people in Taiwan (Macrotrends LLC, 2010-2020). As a matter of fact, the concerning issue of birth rates has existed for years. Additionally, the fertility rate in 2020 is even more worrisome, which is 1.184 births per woman. There are numerous causes behind this phenomenon including issues regarding financial commitment, transformation of family values, and lack of time, which are the ones that will be discussed in this essay.
First of all, one of the key factors of low birth rates in Taiwan is the heavy financial restraint placed upon young couples. Based on the research done by Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of Taiwan, the average total pay of 25- to 29-year-olds is 462,000 dollars per year, which means 38,500 dollars per month. Nevertheless, this amount of money is a combination of monthly salary and bonuses such as annual bonus and dividend, which means that the actual salary on a usual month would be lower. On the other hand, the Executive Yuan in Taiwan reported that the monthly average expense per person was over 22,000 dollars in 2019. Consequently, the budget left for raising a child seems insufficient after taking away the high living expenses, house loans, insurances and so forth; not to mention the need to have savings. As a result, the enormous financial pressure that young couples have to bear becomes one of the main issues as to having babies.
Secondly, through the universalization of modern mediums, young people in Taiwan, faced with a conflict between traditional merits and foreign values, have established changes as to the concept of family. As a part of East Asia where the culture and traditional values are under great influence by Mainland China, Taiwanese people value their families more than anything else. Our ancestors taught us to respect our parents and elders, obey them since it was them who brought us to the world and raised us with the wisdom passed down by their ancestors. Moreover, family education and parenthood also play important roles in Taiwanese people’s lives. For instance, when we see kids with bad behaviors, immediately we blame their parents for doing a horrible job at teaching their offspring. All in all, being a parent in Taiwan means putting great effort and time into raising your child and leading them to the right paths, which also means you’d have less time for yourself and you’d have to take all the blame if your child performs poorly. However, with the advanced technology, the younger generations are able to receive different perspectives via various channels and gradually form their own values. Unlike the traditional ones that teach us the significance of family and Collectivism, the value of individuality starts to rise up. Thus, a part of the younger generation prefers to focus on and invest themselves first rather than having a family at young ages like the previous generations.
Lastly, lack of time can be the most important concern for many couples since raising a child is extremely time-consuming, especially newborns. The average working hours in Taiwan was ranked second in Asia, and forth in the world, which is crazy, right? Reported by the Ministry of Labor in 2018, an average of 2,033 working hours a year is the brutal reality for Taiwanese workers. With so much time spent on working, how do we keep our kids company? Besides, the paid maternity leave in Taiwan lasts for 8 weeks only, which is far from enough in my opinion. In case of a double-paid family, not only do mothers have to rush back to their jobs after such a short break in order to make a living for their family, but they also don’t have the luxury to nourish their newborn babies. They’d have to find a nanny or ask their parents for help since taking leaves means inadequate funds.
To sum up, the comprehensive effect of great financial pressure, evolving family values and lack of time have resulted in the low birth rates in Taiwan. Shockingly yet, in a survey done by the Child Welfare League Foundation in 2019, almost 60 percent of the nonporous women in the 20-29 age range are willing to conceive a baby (Child Welfare League Foundation, 2019). Although there is evidence in surveys showing that Taiwanese people actually do want to have children and get into a long-term relationship, the reality has set a barrier between them and their dreams.
References:
Macrotrends LLC. (2010-2020) Taiwan Fertility Rate 1950-2020: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/TWN/taiwan/fertility-rate
Child Welfare League Foundation. (2019) 2019年台灣女性生育意願和育兒現況調查報告: