LOW BIRTH RATE IS CHALLENGE TO NATION|去年台新生兒減2.6% 新手媽媽平均30.7歲

The Ministry of the Interior announced new statistics and the latest figures revealed a total of 207,600 babies were born in Taiwan in 2016, down from 5,493 of the previous year, or a 2.6 percent decrease, while the average age of first-time mothers increased by 2.2 years over the past ten years to 30.7. In 2016 there were 2.6 percent fewer births, at 207,600 births. This was 5,000 fewer than the previous year. ==MS. HSIEH== There is parental leave, but only a few people can actually use it. If you want to go back to work, of course, it would be difficult. ==MS. TSENG== The cost of living is high, the cost of housing and rent is high, you have to pay for all these. The age at which women give birth is rising. Last year half of births were first babies and the average age for childbirth was 30.7. This is 16 months older that the year before. Most of the births, 70 percent, were in the six major cities. New Taipei City had the most at 34,000, with Taipei City second at 27,000. Taichung City saw 25,000 births. NGOs feel that as well as giving child subsidies, women should have subsidised rent from the start of pregnancy. There should also be public kindergartens to lessen the burden on young parents. ==LIU YU-HSIU Childcare Policy Alliance== The MOE has proposed a new model for public kindergartens, so that every month kindergarten fees are about NT$5,500. But, NT$15,500 is what parents need for two children's kindergarten fees. NGOs also suggest that the low birth rate office be upgraded to a national executive level unit for cross-ministry policy research on policy to allow parents to work and raise children more easily. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 國內少子化越來越嚴重！內政部公布最新統計，去年105年出生的嬰兒有20萬7600人，比前一年減少5千多人，而且一半以上女性是生第一胎，平均年齡為30.7歲，民間團體建議政府，研擬更友善的育兒及教育環境，才能有效催生。 剛出生的嬰兒活潑又可愛，不過有越來越多年輕人不願意生養小孩，少子化情形越來越嚴重，根據內政部最新統計，去年105年出生的嬰兒、有20萬7600人，比前一年減少5493人，減少了2.6%。 ==民眾 謝小姐== 現在有所謂的育嬰假 其實真的會用到育嬰假的 很少啦 如果要回原單位的話 是有一定的困難度 ==民眾 曾小姐== 生活費相當高 不管是以後的托育 或者是你要買房子或是租房子 還 要 生活費 都非常高 不僅新生兒人數減少，女性初婚生育年齡也提高了，去年新生兒中，女性生育第一胎者占了一半，平均年齡為30.7歲，比前一年增加0.16歲；全台嬰兒出生數以六都占七成最多，其中又以新北市3萬4千多人居冠，其次是台北市的2萬7千多人，以及台中市的2萬5千多人。民間團體認為，與其發放幼兒津貼，不如從婦女懷孕開始發放租屋租金補貼，另外也要廣設非營利幼兒園，這樣才能減輕年輕夫妻的經濟負擔。 ==托育政策催生聯盟召集人 劉毓秀== 教育部現在有提供那個 非營利幼兒園一個新的模式 這樣每個月它(托育費) 大概是5500(元)啦 5500(元)那這就是家長 能夠生兩個小孩的托育費用 此外，民間團體也建議政府，應將少子化辦公室提升到行政院層級，跨部會來研擬更友善的育兒及教育環境，讓父母可以兼顧工作與育兒，才是有效的催生政策。 記者 賴淑敏 彭耀祖 台北報導