China to relax one-child policy

November 16, 2013

In a major policy shift, China has announced to ease its one-child policy as part of its reforms package. As per the announcement, couples in which one member is an only child will be allowed to have two children. While most people in China are still only allowed to have one child, some groups, including ethnic minorities, disabled people, and couples in which both members are only children, are allowed to have two.

About China’s one-child policy:

Policy introduced in 1979 as a measure to control increasing population-control policy.
Restricts couples in urban areas to only one child
In rural areas, families are permitted to have two children if the first is a girl.
Some other groups like ethnic minorities, disabled people, and couples in which both members are only children, are allowed to have two children.
Couples who flout the rules can face heavy fines, or possibly lose their property or their jobs
It is blamed to cause forced abortions, female infanticide, and the under-reporting of female births
It is also seen as a cause of China’s gender imbalance

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