Blog #3: Chelsie stinson : Most Places in China Plan to Ease One-Child Policy This Year

Summary

A new policy for china’s population has called to allow for 2 children per family as many provinces, regions, and municipalities have openly accepted to implement this policy as of this year.  The main purpose for this new policy is to ease the one-child policy by letting couples now have two children “if one parent is a single child.”  Many families have been shocked at this new policy as it has opened up their eyes to a new concept where before they had never imagined another child.  One of the reason’s this policy could be made was based on the declining birth rates and changing demographics such as the decrease in working population. According to the director of the National Health and Family planning commission, there have been signs that the birth rate will just continue downward. Although on the downside of things, thousands of families have experienced tragedies of death to their one and only child due to illness, accidents, or congenital birth defects which may have been a contributing factor as to why so many people reported that they would like a second child. However, with more children there comes more responsibility and more resources needed such as the medical, housing, education, and public services.

Analysis

While this new policy may bring hope to many families and be viewed as a wonderful plan in their eyes, there still are some factors to be considered that has lead this policy not to be fully implemented.  It was mentioned in the article that about 71.4 % of people with monthly incomes exceeding what would be the equivalent of over 3,000 US dollars said they would and could afford another child. What they haven’t taken into consideration is china’s imbalance of the resources listed such medical, housing, education, and public services that will have to increase in order to accommodate for the new two child policy. This is easier said than done as they will have to increase at the rate that the country and not just one family’s increase in population. The article mentioned as well how because of the death rates of families only child it has not just been a family tragedy but has become a serious social problem, since it has affected a large population and is trying to be handled by the society.

 http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/womenofchina/report/169897-1.htm

published february 20th, 2014