The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years

China's one-child family policy has had a great effect on the lives of nearly a quarter of the world's population for a quarter of a century. When the policy was introduced in 1979, the Chinese government claimed that it was a short-term measure and that the goal was to move toward a voluntary small-family culture. In this article, the authors examine to what extent this goal has been achieved and the implications for the future of the policy. First they explain why the policy was introduced and how it is now implemented. The paper also examines the consequences of the policy in regard to population growth, the ratio between men and women, and the ratio between adult children and dependent elderly parents. Finally, the paper examines the relevance of the policy in contemporary China and whether the time has come for the policy to be relaxed.