What will two-child China look like?
- 9 years ago
From street corners to social media, Chinese have hailed the ending of the country's one-child policy - but it seems few rushed to their bedrooms to celebrate.
"I want to have a second child but I won't," said Wendy Zhang, a 33-year-old pharmacist in Xi'an.
"We both have to work, so no one would have time to take care of our children and our life would be too stressful."
Some 100 million couples are expected to benefit from the relaxation of the rule, but of the more than 50,000 people responding to an Internet poll posted by a journalist on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, only 20% said they both wanted, and could afford, a second child.
The two-child policy doesn't mean China is removing all controls on childbearing.
Most likely, married couples will still have to apply for birth permits and some commentators have suggested the new rules may require a specific interval between children.
"I want to have a second child but I won't," said Wendy Zhang, a 33-year-old pharmacist in Xi'an.
"We both have to work, so no one would have time to take care of our children and our life would be too stressful."
Some 100 million couples are expected to benefit from the relaxation of the rule, but of the more than 50,000 people responding to an Internet poll posted by a journalist on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, only 20% said they both wanted, and could afford, a second child.
The two-child policy doesn't mean China is removing all controls on childbearing.
Most likely, married couples will still have to apply for birth permits and some commentators have suggested the new rules may require a specific interval between children.