January 1 marks 10 years since China scrapped its notorious “one-child” policy, after the government realized that a falling birth rate threatened to derail the growth of the world’s second-largest economy. On social media, women have also reported receiving phone calls from community workers asking about their plans to have children – raising concern policies could take a coercive turn. “They don’t spark the desire to have a baby.”Meanwhile, according to Mi, who used a pseudonym to speak with CNN about a sensitive issue, the “one-child” policy has shifted a generation’s perspective. Cheng Xin/Getty Images“If we changed the ‘one-child’ policy 20 years ago, it would be much better. “I feel that the ‘one-child’ policy very much confined my thinking at the time.

Source: CNN January 01, 2026 17:02 UTC