China’s Three Child Policy
In 2016, China ended its one-child policy and replaced it with a two-child policy. Initially, the Chinese government imposed its one-child policy to slow China’s massive population growth, but the Chinese government increased the limit to two children due to concerns of economic stagnation and an aging workforce. However, the two-child policy failed to result in sustained population growth because the high expense of raising children has stopped many couples from having kids in Chinese cities. Now, in an effort to spur population growth again, China has replaced its two-child policy with a three-child policy.
China’s Xinhua News Agency said the new policy would “improve the country’s population structure, actively implement the national strategy to respond to the aging population, and maintain the country’s demographic advantage,” as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Earlier this month, China’s census revealed that the country’s population grew at the slowest rate since the 1950s, with figures indicating a fertility rate of 1.3 children per woman for 2020, on pace with ageing nations like Japan and Italy.
The Chinese government stated that under the new three-child policy, it would provide more educational resources and cut educational expenses for families—policies aimed at addressing barriers that experts believe are preventing couples from having additional children. Lowering the cost of education will make having children less expensive, which, in theory, will make parenthood more attractive for Chinese couples.
Do you think the Chinese government’s new three-child policy will persuade more of the country to have children?
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