China announced that all couples would now be eligible for a second child on Thursday, reversing a controversial 35-year-old policy, but it seems that it may not have an immediate impact.
Some 100 million couples are expected to benefit from the relaxation of the rule, but of the more than 50,000 people responding to an Internet poll posted by a journalist on Weibo, China`s equivalent of Twitter, only 20% said they both wanted, and could afford, a second child.
It`s a sentiment shared by Zhou Juan, a 28-year-old vegetable seller.
"My kid is only three and I have spent at least 80,000 yuan raising her."
But for others the policy shift simply came too late.
"I would want three kids if I had been allowed! But it was in the 1980s -- raising kids was much easier then," said Tian Xiling, a retired worker.
"Now my son can`t afford a second child. Food, clothing, education... all cost a fortune today."
Devil`s in the details?
Online, some demanded to know the fine print before taking the plunge -- China`s hasn`t said exactly when it will take effect and the move won`t formally be approved until March.
And a two-child policy doesn`t mean China is removing all controls on childbearing.
Most likely, married couples will still have to apply for birth permits and some commentators have suggested the new rules may require a specific interval between children.
Others feared pressure from over-eager family members: "Daughter-in-laws get ready to be nagged by your mother-in-laws," Weibo user LYMLuWinnie predicted.
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