China rapidly shifts from a two-child to a three-child policy
But women’s fertility is still very much the ruling party’s business
FOR A GENERATION, China’s government had ordained that “one child is enough” for married couples. Then, in 2016, it allowed them to have a second. On May 31st the ruling Politburo declared that a further relaxation of birth-control regulations would help China to achieve its goal of “coping” with a rapidly ageing population—a pressing task. It called for a three-child policy. Some parents will respond with glee, but most will shrug.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “A third is the word”
From the June 5th 2021 edition
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