New 2-child rules make statute book
Print Edition
CHINA yesterday officially ended its one-child policy with the signing into law of a bill allowing all married couples to have a second child.
The change, which was announced in October, takes effect from Friday, the Xinhua news agency reported.
All married couples will be allowed to have a second child but the legislation maintains limits on additional births.
The “one child policy,” introduced in 1979, restricted most couples to only a single offspring and for years authorities argued that it was a key contributor to China’s economic boom.
It has been enforced by a dedicated national commission with a system of fines for violators and often forced abortions.
Rural families were allowed two children if the first was a girl, while ethnic minorities were allowed an extra child.
As a result, China’s population — the world’s largest at 1.37 billion — is now aging rapidly, gender imbalances are severe, and its workforce is shrinking.
These concerns led to limited reforms in 2013, including allowing couples to have two children if either of them was an only child, but relatively few have taken up the opportunity due to limited income and higher opportunity costs.
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