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Wynna Wong

Matthew Cheng

Hong Kong’s leader has vowed to examine whether the government can better support women aged over 40 seeking assisted reproductive treatment, while acknowledging that financial incentives alone will not reverse the city’s falling birth rate.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made the pledge during a radio phone-in programme on Thursday, when residents described obstacles to having children, including job insecurity, a day after the leader unveiled a raft of measures aimed at boosting the birth rate.
Among the callers was a woman surnamed Lee, who said a medical condition and a lengthy recovery had caused her to miss what is considered the optimal childbearing age.
“I will go back and look into this, as it involves professional medical considerations,” the city leader said. “We will examine the age issue and how the government may be able to help.”
The woman, who said she and her husband both worked in education, told Lee that they wanted children and could afford to raise them but had been unable to obtain public assistance because she was over 40.
She said the couple had felt “disheartened and helpless” and had been forced to seek costly treatment in the private sector.
Under current Hospital Authority policy, women must begin publicly funded in vitro fertilisation treatment before the age of 40. Private patients can undergo treatment cycles until they are 45.


The chief executive said the government aimed to foster a broadly family-friendly environment by addressing financial pressures, housing constraints, workplace demands and childcare needs, rather than relying on individual incentives.
He acknowledged that one-off measures could provide only a temporary stimulus and said no specific payment could guarantee an increase in births.
“Who can guarantee that if we provide a certain amount [of money], it will result in a certain number of new babies? Nobody can answer that,” he said.
“That is why, since it is difficult to calculate scientifically, we need to create a comprehensive and friendly environment.”
Lee said the government had based its approach on its own surveys and research by think tanks, universities and overseas institutions, which had identified broadly similar factors influencing decisions about whether to have children.
He said economic pressures were among the main considerations, citing the government’s newborn bonus, tax allowances and housing support.
He added that authorities had sought to ease the burden on working parents by expanding childcare and after-school care services.
But Lee said reversing the long-term decline in births would be difficult because of structural and highly personal factors that could not be addressed through a single measure.
“Structural factors include many women having higher education levels, placing importance on their careers and, nowadays, also talking about freedom,” he said.
“These are very personal matters that cannot be dealt with through a single measure.”

Concerns about job security also featured heavily in the programme.
A resident told Lee that repeated lay-offs at large companies and public bodies had left younger workers afraid to make long-term commitments.
“Many young people do not dare to do it. Forget about having children – they do not even dare to get married,” he said.
Lee said Hong Kong’s economy was performing better than last year and that the government had upgraded its full-year growth forecast to between 3.5 and 4.5 per cent.
He added that the city’s first five-year plan was intended to give residents and international investors greater confidence in Hong Kong’s future, with economic diversification expected to create a broader range of jobs.
Asked whether Hong Kong could extend statutory paternity leave to match places such as Singapore, Lee stopped short of making a commitment. He said any change would have to take account of the operating pressures faced by the city’s many small and medium-sized enterprises.
The latest policy address increased the newborn bonus from HK$20,000 (US$2,549) to HK$30,000 for a family’s second or subsequent child, alongside higher tax allowances and housing-related support.
The government also announced expanded childcare and after-school services, as well as increased capacity for assisted reproductive treatment at public hospitals.
Another planned measure to help boost the birth rate was raising the mortgage loan-to-value ratio to 95 per cent for families with newborns who are applying to the Home Ownership Scheme with “white form” status, which refers to non-public housing residents.

At a Legislative Council question and answer session with city leader Lee, lawmaker Scott Leung Man-kwong called for the measure to be extended to young couples and other families with older children.
He also urged the government to consider additional financial support to boost the city’s birth rate.
“I have seen many sandwich-class families applying under the ‘white form’. Their children have already passed the newborn stage, but they still need a stable living environment as they grow up,” Leung said.
“And for many young people who are still single, or those preparing to get married, having a stable place to live is a basic precondition when they consider whether to marry and start a family.”
The sandwich class refers to those who earn too much to qualify for public housing but cannot afford to buy a home in the private sector.
In response, Lee stressed there was a need to allocate public resources prudently.
“If we expand the scope of the measure, we have to consider whether our financial commitment and responsibility can be sustained. The sustainability of a policy must be taken into account when allocating public resources,” the chief executive said.
“For example, during the most difficult period of the Covid-19 pandemic, we provided large-scale support, but that approach was not sustainable, and it was why we began to face fiscal challenges.”


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City leader says he will examine current policies but acknowledges no single measure can reverse Hong Kong’s declining birth rate


City leader says he will examine current policies but acknowledges no single measure can reverse Hong Kong’s declining birth rate.


Hong Kong’s John Lee vows to review IVF support for women over 40

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}City leader says he will examine current policies but acknowledges no single measure can reverse Hong Kong’s declining birth rate

City leader says he will examine current policies but acknowledges no single measure can reverse Hong Kong’s declining birth rate