A two-child family. Photo: CFP

Many couples are struggling with several questions after the end of the one-child policy: Are the grandparents capable of taking care of another grandchild? If not, do we have enough money to hire a maid? Do we have enough time and energy to raise one more child?

China's top legislature approved a draft amendment to the country's family planning law on December 27, which will allow all couples to have a second child from the start of 2016, ending the decades-old "one couple, one child" policy.

How great an effect the two-child policy will have on the country's labor supply, aging population and economic development remains to be seen. Demographic experts say that the policy will likely slow China's aging but will not reverse the trend.

"According to our forecasts, even though we allow two children now, the workforce (those aged between 15 and 59) will drop to 700 million by 2050 from the current 930 million," said Zhai Zhenwu, chairman of the standing council of the China Population Association, under the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC). "Economic stagnation will emerge if we still maintain an economic structure that is mainly labor-intensive," added Zhai, who is also the dean of the School of Sociology and Population Studies, Renmin University of China.

While these major economic problems remain unsolved, the prospect of more babies being born has already rippled through the economy.

The stocks of baby- and child-related products like medicines, formula powder and even pianos have all seen growth. Some couples are planning to buy larger apartments to prepare for a bigger family. Carmakers are promoting cars with more seats that can ferry a growing family around town.

Some private maternity hospitals have launched special clinics designed for mothers or announced they will open more branches in anticipation of a baby boom.

Beijing Television announced it would air a reality TV show Second Child Time starting January 1, portraying the daily lives of celebrities raising their second child.

Legacy of the one-child policy? 



Aside from parents' practical considerations, they must weigh up how having a second child will affect their firstborn. In early April in Weinan, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a teenage girl jumped to her death, leaving a suicide note saying that her parents' decision to have another child drove her to her death, Chinese Business View reported.

Similarly, in January, a couple from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province aborted their second child following protests and threats by their 13-year-old daughter who played truant, ran away from home and slit her wrists.

While such extreme cases are rare, such anxiety among children is a well-documented phenomenon that can be helped by parents communicating well with their son or daughter.

Many couples believe that love can conquer all, saying that having one more child will increase household expenditure but will bring many other benefits that money cannot buy.

Many point to "little emperors and princesses," a nickname for spoiled and selfish children that some argue are a consequence of the one-child policy. It is believed that growing up with a sibling makes children better at sharing and therefore grow into more considerate and happy adults.

"One child is too lonely. Two are much better and it's easier for them to learn to get along with, respect and love others," said 32-year-old Weng Meilan from Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. She is preparing to have a second child.

Can two children solve everything?



He Youlin, deputy to the National People's Congress and former principal of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Middle School in Zhongshan, Guangdong, was excited when he heard the news about the two-child policy.

He had proposed the policy at the annual legislative meeting for the past five years. Each year, he received letters and flowers from supporters across the country, he said.

"The one-child family structure has shown many problems," he told the Global Times, citing that to prevent injuries, schools seldom organize outings or physical activities; class have more boys than girls; and the only child always suffers from great pressure as they bear the expectations of the whole family.

But the number of people that want to have several children has declined. In 2014, China started to allow couples to have two children if one of them is an only child. But only 470,000 couples applied to have a second baby that year, much lower than the 2 million expected by the NHFPC.

Zhai said after implementing the two-child policy, the pace at which society is aging will slow down. By 2030, the population of China will peak at 1.45 billion, according to official forecasts.

"By 2050, of every 100 people, 33 will be aged over 60. But without lifting the one-child policy, the number of elderly people above 60 would reach 36," Zhai said, citing his association's study figures.

The two-child policy will help alleviate the upcoming problem of China's shrinking workforce and hopefully give the country enough time to finish its economic transformation and upgrade productivity, he said.

According to him, the developed countries with their labor force of 770 million, 160 million fewer than that of China, created a total GDP of $52 trillion in 2014, much more than the $10 trillion generated by China.

"Aging doesn't necessarily mean a population crisis," Zhai said. "If per capita productivity is upgraded, the country, still with a large labor force, can remain an economic power and be fully able to deal with the large number of elderly."

However, Liang Jianzhang, chairman and CEO of the country's top travel booking website ctrip.com who has been advocating the total removal of restrictions on births, publicly said a two-child policy is far from enough and an economic depression will be unavoidable unless people are free to have as many children as they want.

As many Chinese still value male children over female children, as the latter cannot carry on the family name, the one-child policy contributed to China having a massive gender imbalance.

Many find out the sex of their unborn child and abort female fetuses.

According to official statistics, the gender ratio at birth was 115.88 boys born for every 100 girls in 2014. And it's estimated that the country will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women by 2020. However, how the relaxed policy will solve the problem remains to be seen.

He Youlin said his proposals at the next two sessions will focus on improving healthcare and education. "It's time the government encourages couples to have a second baby," He noted.

Zhai said it's necessary for the authorities to help relieve pressure on mothers, such as guaranteeing maternity leave and employment rights.

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