In an effort to increase the nation's declining birth rate, China will begin pilot initiatives in more than 20 locations to promote a 'new-era' culture of marriage and motherhood.
The initiatives to encourage women to marry and have children will be launched by China's Family Planning Association, a national organization that carries out the government's population and fertility measures, according to the state-backed Global Times on Monday.
The initiatives' main goals, according to the Times, are to encourage marriage, childbearing at the right age, parental responsibility sharing, and the reduction of exorbitant "bride prices" and other archaic practices.
The pilot includes the manufacturing hub Guangzhou and Handan in the Chinese province of Hebei.
The Times reported that the organisation had already started projects in 20 cities, including Beijing, Reuters reported.
"The society needs to guide young people more on the concept of marriage and childbirth," demographer He Yafu told the Times.
The initiatives are part of a flurry of initiatives that Chinese provinces are launching to encourage people to start families, including tax breaks, housing aid, and free or heavily discounted third-child schooling.
From 1980 until 2015, China had a strict one-child policy, which was the cause of many of its demographic problems and helped India overtake China as the world's most populated country.
Since then, the limit has been increased to three kids.
Political advisers to the government said in March that single and unmarried women should have access to egg freezing and IVF treatment, among other services, to increase the nation's reproductive rate.
They were worried about China's rapid aging and first population decline in 60 years.
Due to the cost of childcare and having to interrupt their employment, many women have decided against having more children or any at all, with gender discrimination remaining a significant barrier.
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