Several regions across China have recently announced parenting subsidy policies, with some offering one-time subsidies as high as 30,000 yuan (about $4,147). They are part of the efforts to incentivize families to have more children and alleviate the financial strain associated with raising a family.
On Saturday, Bangjiangdong village in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, introduced an incentive scheme stipulating that villagers who have a second or third child will receive a certain amount of subsidy, with a reward of 10,000 yuan for the second child and 30,000 yuan for the third child. This incentive policy will officially take effect on June 1, Guangzhou Daily reported on Monday.
Hohhot, the capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has also introduced parenting subsidies to families with more children, media reported on Monday.
Under the new incentive, taxpayers of the city will be able to deduct 2,000 yuan per month in expenses for caring for infants and young children under three years old. For families having a second or third child, they will be given a one-time subsidy of 5,000 yuan.
Also, a 98-day plus 2-month long maternity leave will be granted to families for the first and second child and an additional one month leave for the third. Dads will be given 25 days of paternity leave.
So far, several cities and provinces including Beijing, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jilin, Heilongjiang, among others have issued documents proposing the establishment of a childcare subsidy system. Some regions have also introduced targeted policies, such as preferential housing measures, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
