The Heat: China’s social change pt2

Home life in China got an overhaul with the implementation of the country’s new domestic violence law and the baby boom of the two-child policy. From domestic violence to China’s aging population. As China gets older, how will the government cope? And does the new two-child policy make a difference? Right now, about 15 percent of China’s population is over the age of 60. A much greater number is currently in the workforce – about five workers for every retiree. But the United Nations predicts that by 2050, China is expected to have half a billion people over age 60 – a population that will increasingly use government-funded social services. And it will shrink to only 1.6 workers for every retiree. The Chinese government is taking steps. It has shifted its policy on family planning – expanding to a two-child policy at the start of this year. For a look at China’s graying generation: Dali Yang is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. Haiyan Wang is managing partner of the China India Institute.

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