China's gains from one-child policy's end may not last

Abstract

Subject The impact of the end of China's one-child policy. Significance Faced with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, China has abandoned the 'one-child policy' it enforced for nearly four decades. Two years on, however, the impact has been muted. Impacts The increase in the second-child fertility rate will be short-lived. Economic, social and cultural considerations will prevent many couples having a second child, despite the reform. Reducing urban pollution and offering more generous provisions for new parents could increase the fertility rate.