ARTS / CULTURE & LEISURE
New documentary focuses on the debate over women’s ‘fertility’
Published: May 25, 2021 07:57 PM
A view of routine check for a pregnant woman Photo: VCG

A view of routine check for a pregnant woman Photo: VCG

A new documentary exploring the various choices women in China have made concerning their "fertility" debuted online recently, igniting hot discussion among netizens, many of whom have pointed out that the issue is far more complex than deciding whether or not to have children. 

The show is the first domestic documentary to particularly focus on the subject of fertility. The title of the show Impressive Egg's Birth was actually inspired by an old Chinese saying that was insulting as it compares infertile women to hens that are incapable of laying eggs. Over six episodes, the show discusses issues such as how women can be attacked for infertility or how a couple who tragically lost their child view the issue of fertility. 

"An increasing number of TV and film productions in China, especially TV variety shows, have starting to touch on various subjects under the umbrella of 'feminist' topics. Today's shows for women no longer involve just a group of women sitting around discussing "beauty" or "family issues," which were once the most dominant type of show on TV… the intellect and attitude of women are being exposed more on TV. This is a happy change," Xu Rong, a film producer who specializes in feminist themes, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

The show has earned a following on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, where inspired netizens have begun sharing their own views and concerns about fertility.

"I have friends who were attacked and called "weirdo" just because they don't want children. I can't imagine the level of insults a woman who can't actually have children must face," posted a netizen on Sina Weibo. 

"I've had an abortion when I was 21 because of a failed love. I tried so hard to overcome the experience myself, and now have a son. But, there was no one I could share my panic and lack of confidence with as I was haunted by those memories while a baby was growing inside me," Xiaoyu, a 32-year-old in Chengdu, Sichuan Province told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Other netizens opined on the "fertility" topic by suggesting that a woman's decision on whether or not to have a child is often threatened by social realities such as the expenses and stress that comes with raising a child, which for many can be too much to bear. 

"Let's just be honest; not all of us will encounter the same situations that were particular to the people in the documentary, but as a working woman in the city, what concerns me about having a child is whether or not I can afford him or her," Tang, a 34-year-old woman who is committed to not having a children in her life, told the Global Times on Tuesday.  

In May, the Seventh National Population Census Communique showed that China's fertility rate is on the decline. The number of births in China in 2020 was 12 million, down from 14.65 million in 2019. The report not only showed the new demographic image of China, but also inspired netizens to discuss online their reasons for not wanting to have a second child, or any children, due to social and financial pressures.