Hold on to your hats folks, because China is trying to increase its birth rate by offering newlyweds 30 days of paid leave.
That’s right, they’re hoping that by giving couples a month off work, they’ll be able to pop out more babies and boost the population.
Apparently, the minimum paid marriage leave in China is three days, but some provinces have been given the green light to be more generous since February.
So, now newlyweds in the northwestern province of Gansu and the coal-producing province of Shanxi get to enjoy a full month of marital bliss.
But wait, there’s more! the Social Development Research Institute of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics claims that extending marriage leave is one of the most effective ways to increase the fertility rate.
Who knew that all it took to get people to procreate was a little bit of time off work?
Of course, this move has been taken primarily in provinces with relatively slow economic development. So, if you’re living in Shanghai, don’t get too excited, you only get 10 days. And if you’re in Sichuan, well, tough luck, you only get three.
But hey, this is all part of a grand plan to expand the labor force and stimulate consumption.
Yang Haiyang, the dean of the Social Development Research Institute, says that more supporting policies are needed, including housing subsidies and paid paternity leave for men.
All we can say is that China better watch out, because Pakistanis might just want to move there because of this brilliant idea.
