Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Chinese couples can't afford a second child, no matter what Beijing wants
Four decades ago, China introduced an extreme birth planning policy, called the one-child policy. It set a limit on the number of children parents could have to control the size of its rapidly growing population. It is estimated that over 500 million births were prevented until the policy was loosened in 2016.
So, the original goal to limit the population growth was reached. However, the policy also seems to have changed the way people form their families and raise their children, especially among the growing middle-class population. When people have only one child, all the affection, attention and expectation are given to the child. As eager parents try to provide the best possible education, medical care, and nutrition to their only child, the cost to raise a child has risen sharply, sometimes as much as one-third of their parents’ income. And the cost increase doesn’t stop there. Entertainment, clothes, and traveling expenses have risen, not to mention the housing cost. So, there is no wonder parents have become reluctant to have their second child even if they are encouraged by the government to do so. They can’t afford it! But this trend is also seen in Korea and Japan whose birthrate stays below replacement levels and the population has been declining.
Enjoy reading and think what only child means to their parents.
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