Explained: China's 30 days paid marriage leave plan to boost birth rate

China Population Decline: "The extension of marriage leave is mainly in some provinces and cities with relatively slow economic development," Yang Haiyang added.

Amid shrining birth rate, Chinese provinces are changing their marriage leave policies, Reuters reported. As Chine moves away from the usual minimum paid marriage leave of three days, now young newlyweds will get a paid marriage leave of 30 days, Reuters reported quoting a statement by Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily Health.

China Population Decline: A boy wearing a face mask carries a Chinese flag as he walks along a pedestrian shopping street in Beijing. (AP)

The change is aimed at encouraging young couples to get married and have children. While some China provinces are giving 30 days of marriage leave, others have a provision of leave for about 10 days. Gansu and Shanxi provinces are giving give 30 days, while Shanghai 10 and Sichuan still only three, Reuters reported.

Dean of the Social Development Research Institute of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Yang Haiyang said as per Reuters, "Extending marriage leave is one of the effective ways of increasing the fertility rate," reported Reuters.

"The extension of marriage leave is mainly in some provinces and cities with relatively slow economic development," Yang Haiyang added.

China's population has declined owing to the country enforcing a strict one-child policy from 1980 to 2015. In 2022, China recorded its lowest ever birth rate of 6.77 births per 1,000 people which experts believe has resulted in financial impact on the country's economy. The country also faces the cumbersome challenge of unprecedented and rapid population ageing.