The 'invisible wall' amplifying China's population doom loop

China still has more left-behind children than any country in the world, 67 million in 2020, official data shows

- Liyan Qi

Even as China's leaders have looked for ways to lift sagging birthrates, Beijing thought there was one group who would always want to have many children: rural couples.

They were wrong. Research suggests that rural migrant workers have severe reservations about starting a family. And a big reason appears to be China's household-registration system, which since the 1950s has divided the population into rural or urban and makes it hard for rural workers to take their children with them.

Described as an invisible wall, the hukou system was set up to prevent cities from becoming overrun. It limits migrant workers' ability to put down roots in China's biggest cities by restricting access to local services such as healthcare and education, or the right to buy an apartment.

When China started its economic reforms in the 1980s, most Chinese lived in villages and rural towns. The new economic opportunities sent millions to work in factories or construction sites in cities. Partly because of the residency restrictions, children typically stayed behind in the care of grandparents or other family members.

Many so-called left-behind children have grown up to become migrant workers themselves. And many reject the tough prospect of having children only to live apart from them.

One 27-year-old woman who grew up with her grandparents while her parents hopped from city to city for jobs said she wouldn't rush to get married or have children.

"I deeply understand the low self-esteem and timidity as a left-behind child," said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her family name, Zhao. Her grandparents were illiterate and had to work the land in their village in Guizhou province. With little oversight and care, Zhao and her sister barely managed to finish vocational school.

"I don't want the next generation to be like me," Zhao said.