Sino-Finnish dialogue focuses on fertility challenges

China can learn from Finland's experience and practice promoting gender equality and securing women's rights in order to respond to the low fertility rate, said experts during a policy dialogue.

The communication session was co-hosted Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund China and the Finnish embassy in Beijing, under the theme of reproductive choice and women's rights. It was also a part of the series of events of the State visit of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and his delegation to China.

Babatunde Ahonsi, UNFPA representative in China, said in his speech that China has witnessed a sharp decline in fertility which has plateaued at a low point more recently.

Although the two-child policy has been in effect from 2016 in China, Ahonsi said simply encouraging couples to have more children is unlikely to reverse the low fertility and ageing, unless "it is accompanied by well-designed and comprehensive policy responses to support all couples and individuals to make fertility decisions of their own".

Han Junli, an official from the National Health Commission, said pressures and traditional views from the society and family – the increasing fertility costs, fathers' absence during the parenting, fear of negative effects on careers – have changed women's reproductive choices.

She also encouraged further promotion of the establishment and improvement of infant care services and material and child healthcare.

Anne-Mari Virolainen, minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, who is also a member of the president's delegation, highlighted during the dialogue the importance of gender equality, and the need to support sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls.

"For us it is of special importance that both women and men can build a career and have a family," she said. "It is only natural that women and men who worry about their future employment are less likely to want to have children. Negative social norms and gender stereotypes, which predominantly affect women and girls, must also be addressed."

She said Finland has invested in projects, such as maternity and child healthcare clinics as well as free school meals, to make everyday life easier for families with working parents and kids at school, which China could learn from.

In the meantime, Han also said China may explore the possibility of having parental leave to encourage fathers' participation in raising children, which is also a way to ensure gender equality.