Easing of one-child policy causing friction within Chinese families
High living costs, widespread pollution are deterring couples from having more babies despite an easing in family planning policy
Jannie Jian has been having sleepless nights since the country eased its one-child policy earlier this year. Jian, 37, a mother of a 10-year-old boy, has been struggling between her desire for a second child and her family members' objections to the idea.
For years, Guangzhou-born Jian, an only child, has yearned for a bigger family, but never thought it could be possible because her husband has a sibling, disqualifying them from having a second baby.
It wasn't until January, when the policy was relaxed to include couples with just one partner being the only child, that she saw her dream move a step closer towards realisation.
At first, she was elated but her hopes were dimmed in the face of strong family opposition.
"My husband says no with no leeway for discussion. He says we just can't afford a second child," Jian laments. "We've been arguing a lot over this."
Jian's parents also object. "My parents think it's too stressful for me … because I'm nearing 40. They're not well in health either and will not be able to help take care of the baby," she says.
Jian's situation isn't that unusual among couples in mainland cities who are now allowed to have a second child.
The one-child policy has been relaxed throughout the country except in Tibet and Xinjiang . But by the end of September, only 7.2 per cent of the 11 million couples who qualify had applied to have another child.
Authorities and academics certainly did not expect such a low application rate, says Lu Jiehua of Peking University's Institute of Population Research.
"The latest figures show that the expected baby boom is unlikely to happen."
Lu says the figures will give the top leadership crucial information to determine population policies. "Our academics and the authorities should rethink [the policies]," he says.
National Health and Family Planning Commission official Zhao Yanpei admitted last month that there was a gap between authorities' estimation and the number of people applying to have a second child.
But he believed birth rates would rise significantly from next year because local governments began implementing the relaxed policy only several months after the official announcement.
Renmin University demographer Zhai Zhenwu says young couples are no longer as keen to have children because of the soaring cost of living and increasingly polluted environment.
Shanghai-based financial worker Vivian Wu and her engineer husband are one such couple. "Our economic situation is just not good enough for a second child," says Wu, who earns 12,000 yuan (HK$15,200) a month.
Her husband, who works at a state-owned shipping institute in Shanghai, earns 15,000 yuan a month. Each year, they spend at least 26,000 yuan on various activities for their six-year-old son.
"We live in a 50-square-metre flat. The space is alright for three people, but it's impossible for it to hold four," she says.
Wang Junxian and his wife echo the views of Jian and Wu.
But the native of Handan city, Hebei province, has another reason for not wanting another baby. "Hebei cities suffer more days of severe smog than Beijing …Unless my family can live in a better environment, I won't consider a second child."
