Shanghai, China, Jul 27, 2009 / 22:27 pm
In a sign that the Chinese government may be taking a step towards ending its oppressive one-child policy, authorities in Shanghai encouraging thousands of couples to have a second baby to offset the graying of the Chinese population.
The official encouragement is the first in thirty years, the Times Online says. Authorities fear the growing demographic imbalance in Shanghai, China’s economic capital, concerned that the younger generation will not be able to support the aging population.
"We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help to reduce the proportion of the aging people and alleviate a workforce shortage in the future," commented Xie Linli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission.
Zhang Meixin, a spokesman for the Shanghai commission, said that the city’s over-60 population is already more than three million, comprising 21.6 percent of registered residents.