Concerns at China's ageing population – about 30 per cent of all Chinese are over the age of 50 – led to pressure for change. The one-child policy is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births since it began, BBC online reports Thursday.
Couples who violated the policy faced a variety of punishments, from fines (bøder) and the loss of employment to forced abortions.
Over time, the policy was relaxed in some provinces, as demographers and sociologists raised concerns about rising social costs and falling worker numbers.
The Communist Party began formally relaxing national rules two years ago, allowing couples in which at least one of the pair is an only child to have a second child.
Many couples may still opt to only have one child, as one-child families have become the social norm, BBC notes.
