Second-child policy setback
Lukewarm response from couples due to rising expenses
BEiJiNG: China’s latest family-planning policy, which allows all parents to have a second child, is facing a major setback and demographic change seems irreversible, a news portal reported.
Sohu.com noted that only 18% of the 11 million qualified couples have applied to have a second child since the country loosened its decades-long one-child population policy in 2013.
Most couples in China, especially in the cities, have decided not to raise a second child as a result of fast-rising family expenses.
Many among the working class living in major Chinese cities cannot afford to have a second child.
For example, a recent study showed that only 12.5% of couples are willing to raise a second child in Shanghai.
There are also some families that have chosen to respect the wishes of their first child and not have a second child.
The release of the second-child policy was aimed at alleviating the problems of an ageing population and the gender imbalance in China, but policymakers are not satisfied on its progress so far.
There are currently about 220 million people aged 60 or above in China, which makes up about 16% of the population.
This number is rapidly growing, and is expected to reach 23% by 2050, meaning that for every four people in China, one will be elderly.
It is predicted it will take about 20 years before the second-child policy has a visible effect, according to a recent AFP report.
China may have to face the stark reality of a quickly ageing population with a reduced workforce as a result of the one-child policy that existed in the country for more than 30 years, the report added. — China Daily/Asia News Network