In China, close to half of urban young women and almost one quarter of men have no plans to marry, reports Sixth Tone. A recent survey, conducted by the Research Center of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, discovered that around 44% of women aged between 18 and 26 and 25% of men in the same age group, did not plan on marriage.
As China seeks to boost birth rates, many of its young people have doubts about starting families. According to official statistics, an estimated 8 million couples married in 2020, compared to 13 million in 2013, a 39% drop.
“In recent years, more and more young people are wandering outside the marriage hall,” said the Youth League report. “It has become a potential risk for the whole of society.” A total of 2,905 unmarried urban youth aged 18 to 26 participated in the survey and follow-up interviews.
When asked about their “willingness to fall in love,” 12.8% of respondents chose “not willing to fall in love” and 26.3% said “not sure.” About 25% said they were “not sure” about getting married, and 8.9% said they “will not get married,” which means 34% of youths no longer consider marriage as a matter of course. In addition, nearly 30% of the young people interviewed said they had never been in love.