In an effort to stem the country’s declining population, couples in China’s Sichuan province will be permitted to have as many children as they choose.
China had its first population decline in 60 years last year.
The country’s long-standing one-child policy was raised to three for married couples nationwide in 2021.
Unmarried people in Sichuan will now be able to raise children as part of the policy change.
Single women could not record births prior to this time.
The contentious one-child policy that China had implemented since 1979 was abolished in 2016. Families that disobeyed the law were penalized and, in some circumstances, even lost their jobs.
The policy also resulted in forced abortions in a culture that has traditionally valued boys over girls.
However, the 2016 revisions did not manage to stop the birth rate’s drop. In China last year, there were more deaths than births for the first time.
In Sichuan, a province in the southwest of the country with 80 million inhabitants, there will no longer be a limit on the number of children people can have.
Increasing birth rates is a top priority for Chinese President Xi Jinping. To stop or halt the decline in rates, the government has offered tax cuts and enhanced maternal healthcare.
It happens as China continues to struggle with Covid-related fatalities all around the country. After zero-Covid restrictions were lifted in December, the virus ravaged villages and cities.
Japan and other neighboring countries of China are experiencing declining birth rates. As a result, according to Japan’s prime minister, his country is in danger of losing its ability to operate as a society.
Author- Roberta Appiah
