Why China Is Ending Its One Child Policy

Chinese President In UK

China announced it was ending its one child only policy at a Communist Party leadership meeting on Thursday, according to state news agency Xinhua. The end of the controversial 36-year-old policy came as leaders finished a four day meeting where they discussed China’s social and economic development for the next five years.

Chinese couples now have the freedom to have two children. 

China started its one child only rule in 1979 because of fears that an exploding population would slow economic growth. While the policy did temper a meteoric rise in population in the world’s most populated country, China became known for pressuring women to have abortions and imposing huge penalties on couples for having a second child.

Some families chose to send their second child to relatives in rural areas, where families are not penalized for having up to two children. In recent years, China has relaxed its policies. Starting in 2013, couples in which only one was a parent were allowed to have a child together. 

What Was The Impact Of The Policy?

China’s slowing population growth has come at a cost. Because many Chinese parents prefer to have a son (baby girls are either abandoned or aborted), a deep gender imbalance has been created among the younger generations. In China, about 118 boys are born for every 100 girls compared to a global average of 103 to 107. The consequences are two-fold: men have a harder time marrying because of the increased competition and the gender imbalance has led to social instability.

The policy has also meant the aging of the China. For the last three years its working age population has fallen.