After more than 35 years, China is ending its one-child policy.
Now families will be able to have two children, but no more. 3 00:00:13,413 --> 00:00:13,347 Why?
Because the population is aging and its workforce is shrinking.
That's an imbalance that will hurt China's economy for years to come.
To curb a population that was spiraling out of control,
China's government embarked on its radical policy of one child per family in 1978.
While China still has the world's biggest population (of 1.3 billion),
the policy is estimated to have prevented 400 million in additional births.
But the regulations did much more than just reduce China's numbers.
The government cracked down on people who had more than one child with fines,
forced abortions and even sterilization.
It also had huge effects on the country's culture.
"It’s not just forced abortions, it's not just sterilizations.
It’s questions like, well, who am I going to marry, who can I date?
What kind of home can I afford to buy? And how am I going to age gracefully?"
Traditionally, boys were favored over girls in China,
as it was believed only a son could continue a family's legacy.
And in rural areas, boys were viewed as better laborers.
So some families gave their girls up for international adoption,
while others took more drastic measures like infanticide.
"The population is so lopsided, for example, that in terms of dating
you have 30 million more men then women
and you also have a large population of only-child singletons,
so parents are very invested in their children’s dating choices."
Now the government needs people to have more babies and have them fast.
But it might not happen as quickly as hoped.
Two years ago, the government started relaxing the rules,
allowing couples a second child if one of the parents was themself a single child.
But many couples who qualified didn't even take advantage of it.
The financial burdens that young Chinese families face
makes having a second child a difficult choice,
especially if they have two sets of parents to take care of too.
And at this point a one-child family has become the cultural ideal.
"This mindset has become so ingrained,
I have plenty of friends who would not even consider having a second child."
"Maybe when our economic condition turns better, we will plan to have another."
"One is enough. I want to take good care of him.
Raising a child is hard for us and our parents."
So it seems China is in a bind.
After decades of telling families to do things one way,
it wants them to suddenly start doing it another.
Until schooling, housing and healthcare start becoming more affordable,
many families might stick with the one-child policy long after it's gone.