Wan has candidly admitted to often struggling with managing his emotions when faced with children who are “noisy or annoying.” His personal challenges echo a broader societal issue in China, a nation of approximately 1.4 billion people dealing with the enduring effects of its historic one-child policy. This policy has contributed to an ageing population and a declining birth rate, creating a unique demographic challenge for the country.

As a result, the Chinese government is keenly aware of the necessity for younger generations to start families, viewing it as crucial for the nation’s future. In response, there has been a noticeable reduction in birth control measures like vasectomies, reflecting a shift in policy to encourage more births.

China’s fertility rate has been on a downward trajectory since the early 1960s. Back then, the rate was significantly higher, with more than seven births per woman. However, recent figures show a dramatic decline, with the fertility rate dropping to an unprecedented low of one birth per woman by 2023.

This decline is not just a statistic but a reflection of the profound changes within Chinese society over several decades. The current situation underscores the complex challenges the country faces as it seeks to balance population growth with economic and social stability.

China’s fertility rate has decreased significantly since its peak in the early 1960s. Credit: SBS Dateline / Caroline Huang

The key factor in China’s reduced fertility rate is the one-child policy; implemented between the late 1970s and 2015 to help rein in the then-rapidly growing population.

In the 10 years since the policy ended, the government has introduced ‘two-child’ and ‘three-child’ policies to address the now-falling birth rate and ageing population. This combination has led to serious concerns about the country’s shrinking labour force. The increasingly older population will also require higher levels of social support, including reliance on an underfunded pension system.

This is now a focus of the Chinese government. In a 2023 discussion with All China Women’s Federation, a state-sponsored organisation, President Xi Jinping said it was necessary to “actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing”.

Impacts of the one-child policy on young people

According to government statistics shared in 2013, since 1971, doctors in China had performed 336 million abortions and 196 million sterilisations of both men and women.

“If you spend 35 years telling people one child is good … and if you have more than one child, then life is going to become more complicated. Then all of a sudden you actually say, ‘Yeah, no, have three children actually, now three children is good, you should have three children’, then that kind of messaging can be tricky.”

The factors influencing young people to get vasectomies

The couple also said it was easier to find a hospital willing to perform the surgery after they got married in late 2024.

“Until those things are addressed, then actually this pressure to have kids is not really going to do an awful lot.”

“If I became a parent, I might unconsciously set high expectations for my child because of the competitive environment and social pressure.”

Gender dynamics at play

“In their mindset, no man would willingly choose to do this; it must have been the wife’s decision.”

On Chinese social media, users share videos with titles such as ‘One Month After Vasectomy: Recovery Update’, ‘My First Time Entering the Delivery Room — Accompanying My Boyfriend for His Vasectomy’, and ‘The Vasectomy Procedure and Recovery Process for Men’. One shows a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ to a man from his wife. Credit: SBS Chinese / SBS Dateline / Caroline Huang

For some young men in China, the decision to get a vasectomy — and then to post about it online — might stem from a desire to demonstrate a belief in gender equality. Gietel-Basten said the burden of long-term contraceptive methods has traditionally been on women.

“This is a way of offsetting the balance and demonstrating, ‘Well, as a man, I’m going to take responsibility for this and I’m going to do my bit to make sure that in that relationship, effective long-term contraception is being used’,” he said.

“I was astonished — how could a healthcare worker say something like that?”

Fears for the future

“They stopped for a while, but I can still sense that in their hearts, they want us to change our minds someday.”

Additional reporting by SBS Chinese.