FEWER than a quarter of Shenzhen residents clearly intend to have a second child, according to a survey on the second-child policy conducted by a special evaluation committee of local legislation and policy on gender equality, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported over the weekend.

    The survey was released to the public Friday at the committee’s conclusion meeting. The results of the survey showed that most couples in the city are not planning for a second child due to the “high cost of raising a child,” “lack of time and energy” and “career development.”

    It is the first time that a themed survey has been conducted to discover whether Shenzhen couples intend to have a second child since the national policy rolled out last year. Only 23.3 percent of the respondents showed that they definitely intend to have a second child, while most of the respondents were still considering. A little less than one- fifth of the couples said that they would not have a second child.

    When answering the question of “causes for not wanting more than one child,” 87.44 percent of the respondents said that it would cost too much money to raise a child. The other top two factors contributing to the decision were “lack of time and energy to take care of the child” and “having a second child would affect my future career.”

    What’s more, many female respondents replied that women shoulder more responsibilities for nurturing children than their husbands, while the mothers also need to work. The public policies were expected to support this type of family.

    The conclusion meeting Friday attracted 60 experts from dozens of municipal and district-level government departments involved in legislation, policies making, organizations, development and so forth.

    The committee was founded last March and has been involved in 21 sets of laws and regulations regarding gender equality in Shenzhen.

    Luo Li, who is the deputy director of the committee and also the deputy director of the standing committee of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress, urged at the meeting that all attendees further the discovery of the challenges facing women of this era, especially after the second-child policy was enacted, and therefore enhance the development of gender equality in Shenzhen.

    (Zhang Qian)