VOA新闻杂志2022--泰国希望阻止出生率下降

Thailand is encouraging its people to have more babies to stop a decrease in the national birth rate.

The Southeast Asian country plans to open more fertility centers and offer childcare services to parents. It also plans to use social media influencers to spread the message about the joys of family life.

The number of births in Thailand has dropped nearly one third since 2013. Last year there were 544,000 births. That represents the lowest birth rate in at least 60 years. Coronavirus-related deaths added to the total of 563,000 deaths.

Thailand's decreasing population is similar to other Asian countries like Japan or Singapore. But the nation is still developing. That means the effects of a falling birth rate are an even bigger problem.

Teera Sindecharak is an expert on demography¹, or changes in population numbers, at Thammasat University in Bangkok. He said the numbers show "a population crisis...where the mindset towards having children has changed."

Senior health official Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters the government recognized a need to intervene.

He commented on the government's plans to introduce policies so that newborns get the full support of the state. He said it is trying to slow down the reduction in births by getting families that are ready to have children faster.

Officials said the plans include opening fertility centers all over the country and also using social media influencers to support bigger families.

Such policies came too late for some. Chinthathip Nantavong, 44, decided² with her partner of 14 years not to have children.

"Raising one child costs a lot," she said. She added that several months of care for a young child "is already 50,000 to 60,000 baht ($1,520 to $1,850) and then it reaches millions later." She said that other countries have better care centers and social support policies.

Aging nation

Sindecharak said Thailand is heading towards becoming a "super-aged society" where the number of people over 60 is more than one fifth of the population. About 18 percent of Thailand's population is now over 60.

Last year, there were 3.4 working-aged people for every retired³ person. But officials predict that number could fall to 1.7 by 2040.

Danucha Pichayanan is the head of the state-planning agency. He said the productivity of manufacturing will decrease.

He also said a decreasing growth rate could weaken government finances. Experts have said government retirement⁴ payments already are not considered enough.

"We have a cat"

"It's become more difficult in deciding to have children," said Sindecharak. He said, in the last 10 years, the economy has slowed. At the same time, living costs increased but income growth slowed.

Political division, rising debt and education costs were also major influences in people's opinions about having children. Experts say short-term fixes may not be enough.

Information from the Bank of Thailand shows that household debt has grown to nearly 90 percent of the country's GDP. That is a measure used for the size of a country's economy. Debt was 59 percent of GDP in 2010.

But for many like Nantavong, who has chosen to not have children, costs are the biggest problem.

"The middle class, office workers or people that are trying make ends meet think the same way," she said.

"Right now we have a cat and it's not as costly⁵ as a child," she said.

Words in This Story

encourage – v. to make (someone) more determined⁶, hopeful, or confident

province – n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

society – n. the people of a particular country, area, or time thought of especially as an organized community

1 demography   

n.人口统计，人口学

参考例句：

• Demography is the analysis of population variables.人口学是对人口变量的分析。
• It was once a rule of demography that people have fewer children as their countries get richer.按人口统计学的一贯规律，一个国家里的人民越富有，他们所拥有的孩子就越少。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。