GlobalPost examines effects of China's 'one-child policy'

"The time may finally be near for the Chinese government to back away from one of its most famous -- and controversial -- laws," the so-called "one-child policy," GlobalPost reports. Noting several formal statements recently issued by well-known Chinese scholars and businessmen, the news service writes, "After more than three decades, the problems with the policy are glaringly evident. While the government credits the one-child policy with aiding economic growth, demographers and economists say it is now one of China's greatest threats." According to GlobalPost, the law has limited China's future labor force and created a large gender gap, with men outnumbering women, among other issues, and "[w]hile Chinese authorities realize the severity of the problem, efforts to unwind it have been piecemeal." The news service continues, "In a delicate time of power transition, nothing is likely to happen until the next leadership assumes office -- a long process that will begin next year. For now, the government seems to be holding steady" (Carlson, 7/12).