According to the latest survey conducted by General Statistics Office of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is one of cities having the low birth rate in the country as females in the child-bearing age are hesitating having babies. Why Vietnamese young females are afraid of having babies?

Vietnam has been proud of  gold population structure. By statistics in 2011, the group of young people aged from 10 to 24 accounted for one third of the country's total population. The rate creates conditions for promotion of socioeconomic development.

In recent years, the birth rate decreased dramatically, especially in big cities. By statistics conducted in 2014, a female in child-bearing age in HCMC has an average of 1.48 child, much lower than the country average level.

Explaining the reason, many females said that in the modern time, young women are delaying having babies. The statistics showed that the group of highest child-bearing in 1999 is among women aged from 25 to 29, however, 10 years later, the group included women aged from 25 to 29 and they didn't have baby after 35 year olds.

More worrisome, many couples in the city has only one child. The situation has sharply changed the country's population structure as the rate of young people or working age people is decreasing while the group of people over 65 is hiking.

Many people said that young females are fearful for having babies since they want to receive promotion in career, to spend time for personal needs such as traveling, spa, healthcare and learning. Moreover, these women have stable jobs with high salary and health and social insurance so they don't think like father generation "old one relies on children".

Do Thi Kim Lien in district 7 said that she worked in a joint-venture company. When the labor contract is still valid, she got pregnant and gave birth. After the maternal leave, she was back to work; however, she was fired without allowance. Before she was interviewed in other companies, her friends advised her not to reveal that she has a new born baby.

Now Lien's child is 4 year old and her economic condition is stable; therefore, her parents wanted her to have one more child. But because of fear for unemployment, she and her husband dare not to have more children.

Meantime, Ms. Thai Kim Oanh in district 8 has a stable job in a primary school near her house; nevertheless, she doesn't think to have baby because her salary is meager and her parents -in-law are old ; as a result, she has to send her child to her parents in a far-away district adding that her family can not afford a baby-sitter as well as private preschools; she has no choice but asking her parents to look after the baby.

Currently, raising a child in big cities is not simple at all. Expenditure for food, tuition fees and cost of high living standards put young parents under pressure; so they are afraid of having a child. In addition, nowadays women have an important role in the society; they thus have more burdens in both families and  the society.

In conclusion, to raise birth rate in big cities as well as help women get over  the  fear of having a child, in addition to adopting proper policies, it needs the support of the community and relatives of a woman.

SGGP