China, the world’s most populated country, has finally scrapped its 35-year long one-child policy and now allows its people to have two children. The decision to abandon the three decades long controversial family planning policy has been in speculation for months. The policy was first introduced by Communist leaders in 1980 due to fear of population explosion.
A Chinese media report claimed that China has so far prevented nearly 400 million births with the implementation of the one child only policy. However, cost of forced sterilisations and abortions and infanticide was immense. The policy also resulted in a catastrophic gender imbalance as millions of Chinese men are in a danger of never finding female partners.
The Chinese were so strict in implementing the policy that they once forcefully aborted a 7-month pregnant lady. Currently, China is experiencing a demographic timebomb with more than 1.3 billion population ageing at a fast pace. As per the UN estimate, China will have nearly 440 million over-60s by 2050.
Earlier, in some rural Chinese provinces, the government has allowed the couples to have more than once child of their first born was a girl child. This new move from the government has been welcomed by demographers across the world.