What in the World - Can blind dates fix China’s shrinking population?

Download Can blind dates fix China’s shrinking population?

China’s population is shrinking so its government is trying to get more people to have kids by offering financial incentives and its own dating app. But not everyone is on board. Some people, especially young women, aren’t keen to follow in their parents’ more traditional footsteps. The BBC’s Fan Wang tells us how China got into this situation. Is it fair to put it all on women?

And Mei Fong, the author of ‘One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment’, talks us through why she thinks an apology from the government over its strict one-child policy could help it persuade more people to have babies.

Plus, our population correspondent, Stephanie Hegarty, explains what China’s shrinking population could mean for the rest of the world.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producer: Emily Horler, Julia Ross-Roy and Mora Morrison
Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Published on Tuesday, 2nd January 2024.

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