China softens 'one-child' policy
Published: January 3rd, 2014
China's chief legislative body has passed a resolution relaxing aspects of the country's notorious 'one child' rule.
The policy, introduced in 1979, prevented parents in urban areas from having more than one child. It has been blamed for the high incidence of abortion and even of infanticide in the country with female babies disproportionately affected, given the traditional preference for male children. China now faces a gender-imbalance with demographers claiming that by 2020, the country will have 24 million 'leftover men'.
Following the resolution, couples will be permitted to have two children if either parent is themselves an only child.
