Chinese authorities are stunned that relaxation of the one-child policy, which was granted after years of public clamor, has few takers. Just about six per cent of the couples who became eligible for a second child have availed of the opportunity, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
‘The number really falls short of our expectations,’ Zhao Yanpei, a commission official complained at a press conference. The commission expected to see an addition of four million new babies every year as a result of the rule change, which would help tackle the risk of an aging society. What it has got after the first year of rule change is an addition of a mere 700,000 new babies, Zhao said. This is a serious rejection of the government’s new approach because it had allowed 11 million couples to go for a second child more than a year back. They are couples where at least one of the spouses was a single child in his childhood.
The case of Shanghai is most drastic. The rule change made 400,000 couples eligible to extend their families in the country’s commercial capital. But only 16,000 couples have applied for registration of a second child. Zhao said several factors may have contributed to the low response from couples. ‘Though the rule change was introduced in some areas at the start of the year, in others it didn’t take effect until June or July. Also, it takes time for couples to make preparations for a new baby,’ Zhao said.
‘The number really falls short of our expectations,’ Zhao Yanpei, a commission official complained at a press conference. The commission expected to see an addition of four million new babies every year as a result of the rule change, which would help tackle the risk of an aging society. What it has got after the first year of rule change is an addition of a mere 700,000 new babies, Zhao said. This is a serious rejection of the government’s new approach because it had allowed 11 million couples to go for a second child more than a year back. They are couples where at least one of the spouses was a single child in his childhood.
The case of Shanghai is most drastic. The rule change made 400,000 couples eligible to extend their families in the country’s commercial capital. But only 16,000 couples have applied for registration of a second child. Zhao said several factors may have contributed to the low response from couples. ‘Though the rule change was introduced in some areas at the start of the year, in others it didn’t take effect until June or July. Also, it takes time for couples to make preparations for a new baby,’ Zhao said.