The Chinese government announced today that it will lift the 35-year-old one child per family policy, now allowing two children per family. The historic policy reversal was made in hopes that it would counteract the effects of the country’s aging population. Thirty percent of the country is over 50, with one-tenth over 65.
Under the old policy, families were forced to pay fines if they had a second child. There were also accounts of forced abortions. As males were generally seen as more desirable, the country also has suffered from an extreme gender imbalance.
