Two-child policy may be too late for China By Robyn Mak AUGUST 9, 2013 The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own. China needs more babies to counter its ageing population and shrinking workforce. But relaxing the country’s one-child rule may not be enough to convince increasingly prosperous Chinese women to have more children. Even if effective, the shift would only have a marginal impact on the economy. For over three decades, China’s one-child policy has been harshly but unevenly enforced. Rural families, ethnic minorities and couples that are both only children are already exempt. Now the authorities are considering allowing families where just one parent is an only child to have two children, according to Chinese media reports. A blanket two-child policy is also under discussion. Though a change is far from assured, the discussion reflects China’s ageing demographics. Today, people aged 60 and above make up just 15.5 percent of total population, while those aged 15 to 59 account for 68.1 percent, according to one United Nations estimate. However, the share of elderly is expected to jump to 39.3 percent of the population by 2050, while the working age population will contract to 52.5 percent. blogs.reuters/breakingviews/2013/08/09/two-child-policy-may-be-too-late-for-china/
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:14:41 +0000
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