During that long transition they have unprecedented freedom-from unwanted childbearing, for example-and no particular reason to rush into commitments of any sort.
Zhou's proposal is among several suggestions involving incentives for childbearing and childrearing brought forward during the annual meetings that conclude Friday.
CPPCC member Zhang Junting suggested that cities should work toward lowering the cost of childbearing by offering free kindergarten education for families' third child.
Low waist-to-hip ratios, or hourglass figures, have long been considered to be more attractive, from an evolutionary perspective, in terms of the ability for childbearing.
" Such growth would occur even if childbearing in today's high-fertility countries were to fall immediately to around two births per woman, " the report found.
Affected by social factors such as delays in the age of first marriage, the total fertility rate of women of childbearing age continued to decline in 2021.
Men were physically stronger and didn’t have the demands of childbearing, which made it easier for them to take on more aggressive, autonomous roles, like hunting or warfare.
The number of women of childbearing age in China decreased by about 5 million in 2021 compared with 2020, among which women aged 21 to 35 decreased by about 3 million.