Policy of “Two Children for Only-child Parents”: Burden of Happiness

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The Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was closed in the middle of November, 2013, in which several decisions were adopted to comprehensively deepen reforms, among which was the policy of allowing qualified families to have a second child. It aroused many social responses. Foreign media like British Broadcasting Corporation, British Sky Broadcasting and New York Times reported the policy timely and called it a key measure in the reform of the Chinese people’s well-being. Suddenly there were many discussions on whether the softening of policy can timely solve the social problems caused by the aging society in China.

The evolution of “second child” policy

Since the early 1980s, China has strictly implemented the family planning policy, vigorously advocating that “a couple can only have one child”. As a consequence, children born in the 1980s and 1990s have become “only children” in the families. With the popularization of the “only child” policy, the traditional family values of bearing multiple children has been replaced by focusing on cultivating one high-quality child. Most urban families adhered to the policy while in some rural families, if the first child is a girl, they are allowed to have another child, which is called “one and half children policy”. The state also implemented some preferential policies for minorities in remote areas and they can be free from the restrictions of the strict family planning policy.

However, in long terms, this seemingly scientific family mode has brought many potential negative effects to the society. The pressure of couples’ helping their parents and bringing up their children is increasing and families have become vulnerable to risks. The tendency of aging society is becoming more and more apparent and there is an unreasonable distribution of labor. Therefore since 2007, National Population and Family Planning Commission of China have made a survey about the child-bearing policy to make further improvement.

On January 1, 2010, National Population and Family Planning Commission of China proposed to “steadily launch” the pilot work of two children for one only-child parent in a family. On March 7, 2011, Wang Yuqing, a member of the national committee of CPPCC and deputy-director of Committee of Population Resources and Environment, disclosed that many experts had made researches on this. The good news is that provinces and cities all over China began to implement the policy of “two children for only-child parents”(Only when both husbands and wives are only children can they have a second child.), which made many families feel great joy.

In November, 2012, many experts proposed to improve the “second child” policy, which aroused great social responses again. In March, 2013, after the new round of government institution reform conducted by the State Council, Commission of Family Planning of China and the Ministry of Health were combined to institute National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China. The policy of “two children for only-child parent” was included into the agenda once again. At last, in August, 2013, People concerned disclosed that the policy of “two children for only-child parent” (If one of the parents in a family is only child, they can have a second child.) would be restarted again and would be implemented on trial at the end of 2013 or in the early of 2014. This time, without long and complicated procedures, people see the light of “two children for only-child parent”.

On November 11, 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth National Congress of Communist Party of China reviewed and adopted several decisions to comprehensively deepen reforms. As one of the decisions, the policy that if one of the parents in a family is only child, they can have a second child was explicitly brought forward. It will be implemented to gradually improve family planning policies and to promote a long-term and balanced development of population. Guangdong Province became the first province to carry out the policy while other provinces and cities can implement it based on their own conditions.

Although people have waited for “second child” policy long enough, the actual implementation of the policy gets some families into great concerns due to the reality that bearing children is easy while raising children is difficult. With the development of the nation, the social situations have changed a lot. Young people are faced with much more complicated problems after marriage compared with previous generations. Therefore, the seemingly exciting “second child” policy has caught young couples in a dilemma of happiness and sorrow. To bear or not to bear is a question with no answer.

Falling into living off

parents again?

Although a second child has great attractions, the grim reality is just the reason blocking the birth of a second child. In recent years, housing prices and commodity prices have kept rising all over China and it is harder and harder to obtain employment and lodging. Food safety problems keep emerging. Adults are living in anxieties every day. The examples of “house slaves” and “card slaves” can be found everywhere. Some people think that if their own life quality cannot be guaranteed, how can they give their children a healthy living environment? It is better to save the next generations from the “hardships”.

One of the interviewees was a mother living in a first-tier city, who told us that, she and her husband belonged to the group living a pretty good life. They had their house and career with a handsome salary. But the house loan was a great worry for them. Besides, their children was about to reach the age for school and they had to consider choosing a good education environment for their child. However, after enquiring, they found that the tuition of some good schools was very high. This mother said that she and her husband worked hard with the hope to make their home better and their son could grow up in the best environment. If they had a second child, their pressure would be doubled. It was quite possible that they would not only have little time for their children but also fell into the condition of living off their parents again. Many couples hold the same attitudes as this mother. They do not want to have their peaceful life disturbed by a second child.

Accompanied children and smaller pressure of providing for parents

The reporter finds that young couples want to have a second child because they want their children to have company and not have such a lonely childhood as themselves. Besides, two children can share the burden for providing for parents. If there is only one child, he or she has to shoulder the responsibility of providing for four old people which is quite a burden for them.

A young mother said that she and her husband were both growing up without the company of siblings and they are very envious of those people with siblings. They often think that if they had a brother or sister, they would get great comfort even just talking to him or her. This mother experienced the pain of losing family members and she thought that if she had a sibling, the pain would be halved and happiness would be doubled. Another young father thinks that those who think they cannot afford to have a second child are really thinking too much. Now young couples all lack financing ability. If they can have a scientific and reasonable arrangement of their money, their life quality will not be affected.

Prudence is needed in bearing a second child

The hot debated policy of “two children for only-child parent” has finally been settled down. There is not overwhelming support or opposition but there are a lot of people in the dilemma of whether to have a second child. About half of the interviewees said that they would have a second child but many of them have not become parents yet.

The reporter finds that most young people think that they should make a decision after careful consideration and based on their life reality. After all, life is full of changes. We should view this policy rationally. Some young parents living in second and third-tier cities say that though the living pressure is not as big as in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and in terms of second child, they need to think twice. On one hand, parents wish their home to become more lively, their child to have company in growth and smaller pressure in providing for old-aged parents. On the other hand, right now, they cannot provide the best education environment for their second child so they would rather not to have a second one. Some parents put forward the opinion that “Raising a son to provide for themselves in old age is not wise and they should work hard themselves for their old age.”They call on young parents to work hard for their families and thus they will not feel overwhelmed when the second child is born in later days.

Many experts also expressed their opinions about this matter. They generally think that the reproduction ideas and family values of contemporary Chinese young people have made great progress. Zhang Chewei, deputy director of the Institute of Population and Labour Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview that the condition that population boom caused by “second child” policy leads to difficulty in education and employment will not occur because there is a pretty high level of compulsory education popularization and the contemporary parents are all well educated who are more practical and rational in considering problems and will not restricted by old thoughts.

Professor Mu Guangzong of Population Department of Peking University pointed it out that one-child families are high-risk families in essence. The society with one-child population as majority is a high-risk society in demographic sense. From home and abroad, a family with two children is apparently more reasonable and more humanistic than that with one child. With a view of the sustainable development of population and the lasting political stability of the nation, the state should pinpoint the directions of family planning reform of self-determined birth, moderate birth and optimized birth. In response to the consistent challenges brought about by low birth rate, second child births should be encouraged to compensate the population loss and restore the natural balance and sustainable development of population and to ensure population vitality and save population strength. As to the concrete practices of each family, they should proceed from the reality, consider from the points of both their own home and the country and combine the elements of the present and the future. Only the preliminary work of “willing” “affordable” and “worthwhile” is in place, can the “second child” policy be implemented.