Postcard from Taipei: The battle against falling births

Taiwan is worried about its falling population, but the country’s pro-childbirth policies have been failing for decades, writes Yen-hsin Alice Cheng.

The World Today Published 3 February 2023 3 minute READ

Yen-hsin Alice Cheng

Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

Jocelyn, a 35-year-old lawyer, and Brian, 36, an engineer, lead busy, fulfilling lives in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. Like many Taiwanese of their age, they are single, independent and childless – and it is this last aspect that is increasingly causing the island state concern.

The rising proportion of unmarried adults is behind Taiwan’s low fertility rates

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