Taiwanese government offering £20,000 cash prize for best slogan to make people want to make babies
With the birth rate rapidly falling in Taiwan, a competition has been launched in a bid to boost the number of babies born each year. For the chance to win a cash prize of one million Taiwanese dollars (around £20,763) the winner will have to come up with a creative slogan that would make couples want to go and procreate!
Last year, the Taiwan birth rate stood at 1.0 births per woman and the number fell by 3.7% in a year reaching it a record low. “We are seeking a creative slogan that would appeal to the public and make everybody want to have children,” a spokesman for the interiors ministry in Taiwan has said.
Some believe that the drop in birth rate could be due to the fact it is now the Year of the Tiger in Taiwan. With its reputation as being one of the fiercest zodiac signs, officials are concerned that superstitious couples might curb their baby making plans fearing it’ll have a negative impact on their baby.
Records show that in the last Year of the Tiger (1998) 54,500 less babies were born than in the previous year. Whereas, in the Year of the Dragon (2000) they saw an increase of 34,000 births believed to be because the dragon is traditionally a sign of good fortune.
Taiwan is not the only one feeling a baby shortage. In January, South Korean government launched its ‘baby making day’ where all lights were turned off at 7pm to encourage people to ‘get dedicated to childbirth and upbringing’ – in other words, get busy between the sheets!
