Formulated in the early 1970s, China's family planning policy encourages late
marriage, late childbearing and one-child families. Now the golden
time to have babies for young couples born around the 1980s is
approaching.
According to Chinese government regulations, those who were both
raised as single children have the right to have two babies.
However, most indicate they want only one child as their parents
had.
During a survey, recently conducted by the Capital Population
Development Forum, about 1,300 Beijing couples aged between 20 and
34, all only children, were asked about their child-rearing
plans.
About 51.2 percent of the young couples surveyed said they would
not have two babies, while 35.9 percent responded that they'd like
to have two children, but only 26.9 percent of them are seriously
planning it.
However, the figure is higher than the result of a similar
survey four years ago when 17.5 percent said they were planning to
have two babies.
According to Ma Xiaohong, an associate professor with the
Beijing Population Research Institute, in 2002 about 73.7 percent
couples knew the policy that when a single child marries another
single child, the couple is entitled to have two children, but now
the figure stands at 94 percent.
"We are glad to see that more people know this policy, but only
a few of them choose to have two babies. China's family planning
policy is successful," she said.
The economic factors, or family income, are the main element
influencing people's choices, according to the surveys both in 2002
and 2007. Of people's top five concerns in their lives, looking
after their children rose to the second position from the fourth in
2002, and housing was up to the third from the fifth. At the same
time, the policy factor went down to the fifth position from the
second.
Couples not planning to have children say they want to fully
enjoy their "two-persons' world". Two-children families think that
with one child in the family, he or she will feel lonely. If there
are two, it could be helpful to their education.
When asked "who influences your choice", 70 percent young
couples selected themselves. About 17.1 percent said they were
influenced by their spouses and 10.9 percent said they accepted
their parents' advice.
Ma analyzed that children's education, China's policies,
careers, families and life quality change young couples' attitudes
toward having children.
Although more people choose to have two babies, the traditional
concept that more children in the family make for a happier life
has quit the mainstream.
A male preference has also faded in people's minds. About 61.2
percent of those surveyed said that boys and girls are the same. On
the contrary to the past, 18.6 percent young couples are willing to
have girls and only 15.8 percent prefer boys now.
Government statistics show that about 78,000 babies are born
each year in Beijing. The research institute says there could be
140,000 newborns in 2010.
Due to the current population structure and policies in China,
the birth rate will rise and a baby boom will happen in
Beijing.
Statistics also show that China's population would be 400
million larger than it is now if the one-child family policy had
not been installed. China officially announced that its population
reached 1.3 billion in January 2005.
The peak in the birth rate will put great pressure on the
government. Ma said the government should take measures in
medicare, education and public facilities to adapt to the upcoming
situation.
She suggested that the population development should be
publicized so that people can adjust their plans to avoid the baby
boom.
(China.org.cn by Wang Ke, January 16, 2007)
