On Nov. 6, China repealed its one child policy after 36 years of strict enforcement, according to CNN. 

The policy was installed in 1979 to boost the economic rate and to slow the population. Under the policy, the Chinese government forced women to have abortions and receive sterilization surgeries.

According to BBC News, the policy was estimated to have prevented 400 million births. From 1971 to 2012, 336 million abortions were registered and executed.

Couples who violated this law by choosing to have more than one child faced severe consequences. In addition to large fines, families’ homes and farm animals could and would be confiscated as punishment.

The Chinese government chose to repeal the one child policy due to concerns about the aging population. Students echo the government’s concerns. “China needs more labor. [The Chinese government repealed the policy] because of the population,” freshman Chinese international student Ivy Ding said.

The work force is quickly aging and there are not enough young professionals capable of taking their jobs. According to the BBC News, 30 percent of the population is over the age of 50.  

Chinese society will face new challenges due to the policy being repealed. Chinese international students have already begun to voice concerns. “Every family can [now] have 2 [children]. It requires more clothes and food, [and] it affects society and [the] economic situation,” freshman Chinese international student Christine Dai said.  The Chinese government has already started to encourage couples to have multiple children.

“There will need to be more schools, [and] it might be harder to find jobs,” senior Chinese international student Gavin Ding said. Couples who receive a low income already may not be able to afford a second child. According to CNN, many couples also fear the emotional burden of another child.

Experts say since the one child policy was implemented, one child families have become the cultural norm. As a result, it is predicted that most families will continue to have only one child.

“For my generation, most of us will have to take care of our parents by ourselves, but [now] we’ll [also] have two kids to deal with. I think there is going to be a lot of stress put on us,” Ding said.

Adriana Guidi is an Entertainment Editor for the Patriot and jcpatriot.com.