Brilio.net/en - Its a problem thats faced by not only China. Declining populations are rampant in many European countries such as Italy and Denmark, where religion is becoming less popular and raising children is simply an expense that most families have to cap off at one or two children.
China has been dealing with the problem head-on, telling men in the country between the ages of 20 and 45 that theyre sperm may be the only way to salvage the greatness of their country. This is because sperm banks in the country are facing severe shortages since the lift on the one-child policy. Sperm donation in China carries with an ample amount of social and cultural taboos, which is why many men dont donate their DNA. Furthermore, a study found that only 33.2% of the men who applied to donate their sperm were accepted, which is a staggeringly low number.
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On social media, men are bombarded with endorsements and even video-game characters encouraging them to get to a bank. Some monetary compensation is as high as $1,000 USD or a rose iPhone 6. Those are quite the benefits for a few minutes of labour.
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Sperm banks are even playing up the hero card and encouraging men to think about the state of the country when they donate, with slogans such as Show your compassion and Help mitigate the countrys aging problem.
Recent ads have tried to counter those deep-seated attitudes against donating due to social and cultural stigmas. Many families wouldnt even want to use a donor as they say it goes against Confucian values. Donating sperm and donating blood are the same thing, said one message from a Beijing sperm bank. Its all about giving back to society.