China Eases One Child Policy

China Relaxes One Child Policy

First Published Date: November 27, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

In the past, I wrote about how the Chinese economy got its boost from its one-child policy: China’s One Child Policy. In a recent announcement, after months of speculation China announced that it is relaxing its unpopular and decades-old one-child policy.

The new policy change will apply to those families where one parent is an only child. In some places, especially in the countryside, families can have a second child if the first child is a girl. It is estimated that some 20 million parents will be affected and can have a second child.

There are possibly 2 reasons behind this policy shift by the Chinese government. China will face enormous labour shortages in the future due to its heavy concentration of aging population. Over 25 percent of its population is expected to be over 65 by 2050.

And then there is another problem of gender imbalance. Unless changes are made rapidly, in the near future Chinese males will be unable to find a female partner to get married, and this could mean nearly 24 million men will be unable to find wives by the end of the decade.

Despite the easing the one-child policy, the policymakers are not expecting a dramatic growth of newborn babies creating a Chinese baby boom. New generation Chinese families are opting for smaller families and the fertility rate is already on the decline.

As time goes by, if no significant or unexpected population influx arises it is possible that the Chinese authorities will abolish the remaining family planning restrictions altogether.