The population crisis prompted the Chinese Communist Party to change its original “family planning policy” to the “two-child policy” in 2016, and then to the “three-child policy” in 2021. However, now the CCP is facing a bigger challenge: in the midst of severe economic uncertainty, more and more Chinese people are choosing a different number when it comes to having children – “zero”. They are known as DINK families, which stands for “Double Income, No Kids” families.
29-year-old Xu Kaikai, a resident of Shanghai who works in advertising, and her 36-year-old boyfriend, see being a DINK couple as giving them greater control over their lives.
“I used to talk about having a beautiful baby,” Xu said. “Now, I consider myself a ‘drifting leaf’.”
Vable Liu, a 29-year-old English teacher in Jinan, said that about one-third of her friends are DINKs.
Zheng Yu, a 47-year-old fashion consultant in Shanghai, decided not to have children in her early twenties, which was initially not understood by her family and friends. With the worsening income inequality and seeing the pressure her niece faces in pursuing career success, Zheng Yu mentioned that if given the choice again, she and her husband would make the same decision.
Professor Yuying Tong from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who studies family life, stated that this is a phenomenon among the higher-income population in China, and added that the number of DINKs is increasing largely due to more people delaying marriage.
Hu Huiwen, a 38-year-old financial consultant in Hangzhou, said she joined three different DINK chat groups. In her video diary, she shows scenes of herself reading or strolling in the park to admire the autumn leaves.
The widespread depiction of childless lifestyles is making it more challenging for the Chinese government to promote childbirth, especially with the stagnating economy discouraging more people from wanting to have children.
A recent study by the Yuwa Population Research Institute in Beijing found that the average cost of raising a child in China is $74,600, equivalent to 6.3 times the per capita GDP.
Assistant Professor Mu Zheng from the National University of Singapore’s Department of Sociology believes that ultimately, the intense pressure and competition in the environment make it difficult for many people to accept marriage and parenthood.
For the CCP, which is currently facing a population crisis with negative growth in 2022 and 2023, the rise of DINKs couldn’t have come at a worse time. The government is trying to encourage childbearing through subsidies and even matchmaking services.
The government also seems to be trying to intimidate DINKs into changing their mindset. Last month, the CCP promoted an article on Weibo about a DINK couple who regretted not having children, citing loneliness, marital discord, and inheritance issues as consequences.
DINKs have objected to this portrayal. “Are all these examples intended to encourage people to have children?” a popular entertainment blogger asked. “There could be more people regretting having children.”
With the sluggish Chinese economy, high youth unemployment rates, and bleak job prospects, many people feel disillusioned about the future. The high cost of education makes it difficult for many young families to afford having more children.
Last June in Beijing, 35-year-old Yang Ri, an employee of a state-owned enterprise, told the Wall Street Journal that her daughter is in first grade, and the annual expenses on her daughter’s food, toys, and afterschool tutoring amount to $28,000. She cannot afford to have another child.
Previously cited by Huari, Senior Researcher Xiujian Peng from the University of Victoria in Australia stated, “When the economic pressure is enormous and many people feel financially insecure, it will certainly affect people’s decisions on having children.”