BEIJING: Zhang Rui and her husband, Qiang Zihe, are an anomaly among their friends in Beijing. The couple, in their late 30s, have two children and want to have a third.
“So China may experience the world’s fastest process of having an ageing population from now to the next 20 years.” Take, for example, Lin Yunzi and Guo Yu, who have a seven-year-old son. They considered having another child but decided against it “mainly because it’s a lot of financial pressure”.Guo Yu and his family.
“It’s hard to please everyone,” she said. “I previously had a chat with my boss, and there was very little room for further advancement. I could manage the basic tasks but couldn’t go on business trips or work overtime.”In the past, China was poorer, yet married couples had more children. Their finances, noted Yeung, is not the only thing to have changed. “As socio-economic development advances, people’s desires change,” she said.
It is for these reasons that Michael Li and Tina Wang, a married couple in their 30s, decided not to have children at all.“I can’t stand the thought that if I have kids, I’d do nothing but be a full-time mother,” said Wang, who teaches children at a drama school. “From a psychological perspective, it’s not satisfying.”