This proposal was developed by the Ministry of Health in the draft Law on Population, in the context that Vietnam's population is facing many problems, including a record low birth rate and a serious increase in the sex ratio at birth.
In 2024, the national average fertility rate will be only 1.91 children per woman, the lowest in Vietnam's demographic history and is forecast to continue to decline in the following years. If the fertility rate continues to decline, by 2039 Vietnam will end its golden population period, in 2042 the working-age population will peak, and after 2054 the population will begin to grow negatively.
Fertility varies by education level and living standards, with higher fertility among poor and low-educated women and lower fertility among higher-income and higher-educated women.
In addition, the sex ratio at birth remains alarmingly high, at 111.4 boys per 100 girls. Without strong intervention, by 2034, Vietnam will have a surplus of about 1.5 million men of marriageable age, and this number could reach 2.5 million by 2059.
"This gender gap is warned to have long-term consequences. A number of men find it difficult to get married, leading to human trafficking, prostitution, gender-based violence and transnational crime," the Ministry of Health assessed.
To prevent this situation, the Ministry of Health has proposed many specific measures with a total budget of more than VND 5,365 billion. Specifically, breakthrough policies to maintain the replacement birth rate include an additional month of maternity leave, an additional 5 working days of maternity leave when the wife gives birth. Cash or in-kind support when women give birth, give birth to 2 children, give birth to 2 children before the age of 35. Support for food costs for children in preschool; exemption or reduction of costs for regular pregnancy check-ups...
Of which, the support in cash or in kind when women give birth to 2 children before the age of 35 is 650 billion VND. Support for women giving birth to a second child to take an additional month off (in addition to the time off work to enjoy maternity benefits), is expected to be 1,312 billion VND. Exemption and reduction of the cost of regular pregnancy check-ups is about 24.3 billion VND.
For the financial support policy for parents who have two daughters, the Ministry of Health plans to spend about 151.8 billion VND. This measure aims to encourage and control the gender imbalance at birth. The Ministry also supports money for pre-marital health consultation and examination, prenatal and newborn screening, etc. with a total budget of thousands of billion VND.
According to the Ministry of Health, the above support will help women have more time off to take care of their children; men support their families; reduce costs during pregnancy and childbirth; encourage having two children, especially having two children before the age of 35.
In fact, birth reduction is not only a problem of Vietnam but also of many countries such as China, Korea, Japan... These countries are offering many "weapons" to encourage birth, but in reality, no country has been successful in implementing them, according to Dr. Mai Xuan Phuong, former Deputy Director of the Department of Communication andEducation , General Department of Population, now the Department of Population (Ministry of Health).
Mr. Phuong said that to increase the birth rate and help the population develop sustainably, two urgent issues are the need for practical support policies and changing social awareness.
"In terms of policy, there needs to be financial support and welfare for families with children, such as child allowances, especially for second children, and tax reductions for families with young children. Housing support and preferential home loans for families with young children are needed," he said.
In particular, it is necessary to change social awareness to encourage childbirth and eliminate the fear of childbirth. Change the mindset of men's roles, so that raising children is the responsibility of both husband and wife, and cannot be "left entirely" to the wife, reducing pressure on women.
In addition, it is necessary to orient young people about the value of family and having children, so that they realize that "having children is a responsibility, obligation and right". Accordingly, it is necessary to educate about sex and parenting skills from primary school so that young people have the mindset and are ready to enter marriage.
HA (according to VnE)Source: https://baohaiphongplus.vn/de-xuat-chi-650-ty-dong-ho-tro-phu-nu-sinh-du-2-con-truoc-35-tuoi-416438.html
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