[tuatoru]

I hadn't seen that; thank you.

It's depressing that the CCP hasn't learned from the experience of Romania[1] and everywhere else governments have tried to increase fertility.

As I see it the only ways China's fertility can lift to or above replacement are: 1. reverting back to a pre-industrial, pre-germ theory society; 2. introducing pensions, introducing free health care, allowing free movement within the country (revoking the hukou system), increasing mandatory parental leave, providing permanent tax breaks and child support payments, replacing the gaokao by a lottery system for tertiary education, and controlling property prices.

On second thought, even doing all of 2 may not do it. Doing any less than all of it certainly won't.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_orphans

[user_named]

China already has a public pension system and free health care, albeit not very good. What's mainly keeping people from wanting to have children is the cost of housing as you mention and the cost of child care. And yeah, the short parental leave.

[seanmcdirmid]

Education costs also, China has public education but it is funded very oddly, there are lots of fees that you have to opt into, even if Xi really outlaws cram programs. Things become much more pricey if you raise them in a city away from where there hukou is.