Women in China are now healthier than ever, but as the economy grows and China's culture becomes more westernized, the country faces new challenges due to changing social norms and expectations, say experts in a special collection of articles published by The BMJ . In nine articles spanning topics and conditions across women's life courses, experts from China analyze the current state of women's health; review achievements and remaining challenges in the contexts of women's empowerment and rights, labor force participation , and family and community dynamics; and make recommendations for promoting women's future health, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. Such a focus is necessary because of the immediate context of falling fertility, explain BMJ editors Jin-Ling Tang and Jocalyn Clark in an editorial to launch the collection.
In 2022, the fertility rate in China dropped to 1.1% and for the first time in decades, became lower than the country's overall mortality. In the meantime, the percentage of people aged 65 years or older reached its highest level (14.
9%), setting a new challenge for health systems and delivery in the country. Against this background, an article by Wang and colleagues argues that if China is to return to population growth it needs to acknowledge the realities of parenthood, avoid any violation of women's reproductive autonomy (including lifting restrictions on egg freezing for non-medical reasons), and ensure the safety and health of mothers .