China Ends the Only-Child Population Control Program

After 36 years, China finally ends the only-child population control program.

This decision was announced last Thursday, after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

͞The change of policy is intended to balance population development and address the challenge of an aging population, announced Xinhua news agency.

China’s one-child policy was put in place to slow the country’s birth rate, as an extreme tactic to fight the food shortage that could lead to another annihilating famine, like the one China suffered in 1962. It has been estimated that 400 million births were prevented during the institution of this policy.

As a result, China’s population is quickly ageing. There are not enough people to care for the elderly, and the workforce is rapidly diminishing. At present, women are outnumbered by men. Demographic calculations show that there will be up to 30 million more men than women who will reach adulthood by 2020.

The population control plan made some exceptions. For example, rural families were allowed to have more than one child, as well as ethnic minorities, or families whose first child was handicapped, or a girl. This caused an imbalance as well, because now there are more rural kids, but less educated, than urban children.

Although the ͞one couple, two children͟ policy has been officially implemented, it’s hard to say if it would be fully embraced by the population. Living expenses in China are very high, and many couples wouldn’t be able to afford having a second child, even if they wanted to.

Image credit: China Mike