Study finds 40 percent of parents happy with one child_美文

Study finds 40 percent of parents happy with one child

"If you have no nannies or parents to help you out, having two children probably means saying goodbye to your personal life," she said.

Lin Pan, a 27-year-old woman working for a foreign trade company in Nanjing, said that family finances are a major factor in her decision not to have a second child.

"Neither imported diapers nor infant formula are cheap in China. If you want your kids to be admitted by a reputable primary school or high school, you'll have to purchase a very expensive apartment in a nearby neighborhood, which will cost no less than 30,000 yuan ($4,900) per square meter.

"Now I spend about 2,500 yuan a month to buy food, diapers, vitamins and toys for my baby," Lin said. "That is half of my salary. I won't even think about having a second child until I'm financially prepared."

Yuan Xin, an expert on aging-population studies at Nankai University in Tianjin, said that China has had a low birthrate for at least 21 years.

According to Yuan, China's birthrate has continued to go down since the family planning policy was introduced in 1971. In 1992, the country's birthrate reached the replacement level, which is 2.1 children for each family.

"A low birthrate will result in a population decline and contribute to an aging society," Yuan said. "But if all the couples in China are allowed to have a second child, more than 200 million people will be born by 2050, which might have a huge impact on society."