A researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yi Fuxian, stated, «The decline in the fertility rate is inevitable, like a giant boulder rolling down a hill.» He sees this as a natural consequence of advanced societies, with Asia being a prominent example, particularly Japan and South Korea. The author of the book «One Big Country, One Empty Nest» adds: «China's one-child policy accelerated this process.» Fuxian believes that despite the Chinese government's efforts, it will be extremely difficult to roll that boulder back up the hill. Meanwhile, economist Jin Jin, born in 1982 and an only child like most of her generation, argues that implementing the one-child policy led to «many horrifying stories» and left a significant mark on the country. However, she emphasizes that «it's not all bad, as it can help explain the rise in savings among urban Chinese families and the exceptional increase in higher education levels.» In her book, «The New Rules of China,» a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says: «In a surprising development, having fewer children has significantly elevated the status of women.» The National Health Administration has pledged to cover childbirth expenses. For the first time this year, the government's annual work report, a document that reviews policies and sets goals, mentioned the need to «provide subsidies for child-rearing» and develop daytime childcare services. Last July, a national assistance program worth 3,600 yuan (about $515) per child under three was approved. Last week, the National Health Administration pledged to «achieve» the goal of citizens not having to pay out-of-pocket for hospital births, which cost about 5,000 yuan for natural births and 10,000 yuan for cesarean sections (about $715 and $1,430, respectively). Currently, most provinces operate a system of shared medical expenses, including those related to childbirth. Due to a demographic imbalance, Beijing ended the one-child policy in 2016, allowing couples to have two children. The United Nations projects that China's population will shrink from 1.4 billion today to 633 million by 2100. China's one-child policy was perhaps the largest social experiment in human history. To curb population growth by any means, for years China did not allow families to have more than one child. Communist leaders defined these measures with the slogan in 1978: «One is best, two at most, with a three-year gap,» and in 1980, this policy became China's national policy. By 1982, 96% of urban families were having only one child, according to an urban household survey. Through a system of fines and penalties for non-compliance, the birth rate suddenly dropped until the policy itself became a problem. Due to a demographic imbalance, Beijing ended the one-child policy in 2016, allowing couples to have two children to «achieve a demographic balance and address the challenge of an aging population,» but this policy was not successful. Ten years later, the declining birth rate is one of the biggest problems facing the Chinese government. Common practices Li, 53, raised her only daughter, who is now 24, hoping she would «have the same rights and opportunities as boys.» She says, «I raised her to be brave and to stand up for herself.» After giving birth, she had an intrauterine device inserted to prevent pregnancy, as did millions of women during the years when contraception was widely available. She insists her decision was voluntary, although human rights organizations have documented that this medical practice was common, and in many cases, women were pressured by authorities. Mrs. Li acknowledges that if she had the choice, she would have wanted more children, but she asserts that the policy «freed women from the perpetual job of reproduction,» as she puts it. She says, «Every era has its reasons. Now, many women don't want to have children, and some don't even want to get married.» Tolerance and exceptions In rural areas, the rule was not always enforced as strictly. The distance from centers of power, the need for labor, and the demographic situation itself led to uneven and sometimes more lenient application. In many villages, unofficial exceptions, delayed registration, or births unnoticed by authorities were tolerated. Some families made decisions outside the system, such as Mrs. Mi, 49, from Sichuan, who explains in a letter: «We, rural people, didn't understand why these restrictions were imposed.» She describes how almost every home in her area had several children. So when her second child (the first was a girl) was born, she registered him in her sister's family and settled the matter in 2016—the year the one-child policy was lifted—by paying a fine, which she considered small compared to what she would have had to pay in 2003. For 12 years, the child was considered his aunt's son in the eyes of the authorities. In Mrs. Mi's view, raising children in the past was «simple,» explaining, «It was enough to have food to eat.» She attributes the decline in births to «the current huge demands» and a set of factors, including stagnant wages, rising stress levels, and the unequal sharing of household responsibilities. Rapid aging Despite allowing couples to have three children in 2021, China's fertility rate continues to decline sharply. According to the World Bank, the average woman gives birth to just one child, one of the lowest birth rates on the planet. To prevent the population from shrinking, every woman must have at least two children. In 2022, China's population shrank for the first time since the 1960s, and in 2023, India overtook China as the world's most populous country. China is experiencing rapid aging, and society is sustained by a shrinking working-age population. The number of newborns has decreased for seven consecutive years before seeing a slight increase in 2024. The United Nations projects that China's population will shrink from 1.4 billion today to 633 million by 2100, a change that could hinder growth. Consequently, these issues have become a «national security» priority. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a 2023 speech: «The rise and fall of great powers are deeply affected by demographic conditions, so demographic security must be integrated into the broader framework of national security and carefully planned.» Xi called for «shifting the focus from controlling quantity to improving quality, stabilizing the total population, improving the demographic structure, and enhancing population mobility.» Analysts interpreted this as a shift in approach, from control to incentives. A new culture Indeed, Chinese authorities are now promoting what they call a «new culture of marriage and parenthood.» Policies are being implemented on several fronts, from longer paternity leaves to tax breaks. Local governments are organizing mass weddings to encourage marriage, and since May, young people can get married anywhere in the country without having to register their marriage in their original household registration area (known as hukou). Even officials are available to register marriages in resorts, nightclubs, and music festivals. Another sign of the changes in China is that starting in 2026, contraceptives will become more expensive, and a 13% value-added tax will be applied to them, as part of the one-child policy. From «El País». The Little Emperors During the implementation of the one-child policy, horrifying stories emerged about abortions and child abandonment, as well as children who grew up without registration. Girls, in particular, were victims of this policy, as many families rejected them. At the same time, a new type of only-child society, known as «Little Emperors,» emerged—spoiled and overly coddled children who reached adulthood while China's GDP was growing at an average of 10%, and the country rose to great power status. A natural result China's one-child policy had a profound impact on the country.
