THIRD PROCESS | CAROUSEL

Three-Child Policy: A Paradigm Shift in

China
Vanshika Sachar Hridya Ganga
Content Curator, Content Curation Writer, Writing department
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Slide 01:

China’s 2020 Census Report

The report showed a dramatic decline in the birth rate of the world’s most populous country
with only 12 million births being recorded in 2020, the lowest number since the 1960’s. The
total fertility rate dropped below the warning level of 1.5, to 1.3 hinting that the population
will decline at a fast pace between 2022 and 2027.

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Slide 02:

The infamous One-Child Policy

It urged the families to limit the number of children to just one. Adversely affecting the
population trend ever since, this policy resulted into a largely disproportionate sex ratio. It
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proved to be one of the most inhumane birth control policies; forcing women to abort and get
sterilized. Couples were penalized and charged with enormous fines for violations.

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Slide 03:

The Three-Child Policy

The new Three-Child Policy announced on 31st May, 2021, was introduced to tackle the
demographic crisis rising from a four-decades-long strict birth control that could add pressure
on the Chinese economy. It stated that married couples can have a maximum of 3 children.
China also faces the drawback of an ageing society, which has made the single-party state
scrap its chaotic birth control measures, bringing in the Three-Child Policy.
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Slide 04 & 05:

Response to the new policy

A few consider it to be a ‘carrot-and-stick’ approach, while some still expect China to remove
the restrictions entirely. Many of the citizens believe that it’s so late now that even a fully
liberalized birth policy wouldn’t prove effective to solve the problem while most of them are
still dealing with the trauma that came as aftermath of the brutal enforcement of the One-
Child Policy.
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Families are so used to raising a single child that they do not wish to even think about the
prospect of having two children, let alone three. The number of women of child-bearing age
is also decreasing sharply every year.

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Slide 06:

Expected impact on China’s economy

Economists believe that the policy will not lead to a drastic increase in birthrate. Therefore,
China should prepare to meet the risks of an ageing society in the future as it will have to
increase its expenditure on the health and security of its elderly population rather than
investing in the education of its youth.
To learn more about the Chinese Government’s yet another controversial birth policy and its
global impact, check out the full article on our website. Link in bio.
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