A company in China has recently canceled a controversial rule that threatened to fire single workers if they didn't get married by the end of September. The Shuntian Chemical Group, based in Shandong province, had sent a notice to its 1,200 employees, especially targeting those between the ages of 28 and 58. The notice told unmarried workers, including those who had been divorced, to "fix your personal marriage issues" by the deadline, or they would face consequences.

The company's announcement included a series of steps for those who didn't comply. At first, employees had to write a self-reflection if they were still single by the first quarter. If they didn't marry by the second quarter, the company would evaluate their situation. Finally, if they didn't start a family by the third quarter, they could lose their jobs. The notice even criticized single employees for not following the government's encouragement to marry and have kids, calling them "disloyal" and "disobedient" to their parents.

This policy came about as part of a larger effort by the Chinese government to deal with the country's falling birth rate. Officials have been pushing for more young people to marry and start families to help with this issue. However, many people reacted strongly against the Shuntian Chemical Group's demands on social media, showing their disapproval of the company's approach.

After the public backlash, local officials from the human resources and social security bureau stepped in and visited the company to point out that the policy broke Chinese labor laws. The day after this intervention, the Shuntian Chemical Group quickly retracted the notice. A company representative admitted that the wording in the announcement was inappropriate, which led to its cancellation. Recent statistics show that new marriages in China dropped by 20% last year, the biggest decline ever, and the population has decreased for the third year in a row, highlighting the difficulties the country faces with marriage and family issues.

Original news source: Chinese company that set deadline for single workers to get married responds to criticism (Sky News)

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will act out different scenarios related to marriage and family without speaking. Other students will guess what they are acting out. Scenarios can include getting married, proposing, having a child, or attending a wedding.
– OPINION SPECTRUM
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom with "Strongly Agree" on one end and "Strongly Disagree" on the other. Present statements related to marriage and family (e.g., "People should get married by a certain age"). Students will position themselves on the spectrum according to their opinions and then discuss their viewpoints with a partner.
– MIND MAP
Instructions: In small groups, students will create a mind map on the whiteboard related to the themes of marriage and family in different cultures. They should discuss and add terms, ideas, and concepts that come to mind, connecting them to the article's context.
– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Divide students into teams. Each team will select vocabulary words from the article (e.g., "disloyal," "consequences," "marriage"). One member will draw the word without using letters or numbers, while their team guesses what it is.
– FUTURE PREDICTIONS
Instructions: Students will write down their predictions about marriage trends in the future based on the article's content. They will share their predictions with a partner and discuss what societal changes might lead to these trends.

A company in China has recently canceled a controversial rule that threatened to fire ? ? if they didn't get married by the end of ?. The Shuntian ? Group, based in Shandong province, had sent a notice to its 1,200 employees, especially targeting those between the ages of 28 and 58. The notice told unmarried workers, including those who had been divorced, to "fix your personal marriage issues" by the deadline, or they would face consequences. The company's announcement included a series of steps for those who didn't comply. At first, employees had to write a self-reflection if they were still single by the first quarter. If they didn't marry by the second quarter, the company would evaluate their ?. Finally, if they didn't ? a family by the third quarter, they could lose their jobs. The notice even criticized single employees for not following the government's ? to marry and have kids, calling them "disloyal" and "disobedient" to their ?. This policy came about as part of a ? effort by the Chinese government to deal with the country's ? birth rate. Officials have been pushing for more young ? to marry and start families to help with this issue. However, many people reacted strongly against the Shuntian Chemical Group's demands on social media, ? their disapproval of the company's approach. After the public backlash, local officials from the human resources and social security bureau stepped in and visited the company to point out that the policy broke Chinese labor laws. The day after this intervention, the Shuntian Chemical Group quickly retracted the notice. A company representative admitted that the wording in the announcement was inappropriate, which led to its cancellation. Recent statistics show that new ? in ? dropped by 20% last year, the biggest decline ever, and the population has decreased for the third year in a row, ? the ? the country faces with marriage and family issues.

1. What is your opinion on companies getting involved in their employees' personal lives, like marriage?
2. How would you feel if your job required you to be married by a certain date?
3. Do you think it’s fair for a company to fire someone for being single? Why or why not?
4. What is a reasonable age for people to get married?
5. Do you like the idea of a company encouraging employees to marry? Why or why not?
6. How do you think societal pressure affects people’s decisions to marry?
7. Do you think the government should encourage people to marry and have children? Why or why not?
8. How would you react if your workplace tried to control your personal life like this?
9. What is your experience with family or friends feeling pressured to marry?
10. Do you think the decline in marriages is a problem? Why or why not?
11. How important do you believe marriage is in today’s society?
12. Do you think people should focus more on their careers or relationships? Why?
13. What is a positive aspect of being single that you can think of?
14. How would you feel if a friend was pressured to marry quickly?
15. Do you think companies should have policies about personal relationships? Why or why not?

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