Why couldn't they see this coming???

China may scrap one-child policy, official says World Reuters:

"Rules vary but usually limit families to one child, or two in the countryside."

My understanding is that it is one per family, a second if the first one is not male.
Why? Because they believe that a male-child will grow up to support the elderly parents instead of making them a burden on society.

"...The average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime has decreased to 1.8 in China today, from 5.8 in the 1970s, and below the replacement rate of 2.1.
China says its policies have prevented several hundred million births and boosted prosperity, but experts have warned of a looming social time-bomb from an ageing population and widening gender disparity
stemming from a traditional preference for boys...."

I just want to say one thing.
DUH!!!
They were getting warned from the time it started that this would happen; and if they didn't want to take those warnings all they had to do was look at the troubles our social security program is in because we have more people on then are putting in it.

"...China has vowed to slap heavier fines on wealthy citizens who flout family planning laws in response to the emergence of an upper class willing to pay standard fines to have more children..."

Well what did they expect? Of course the wealthy are going to have more kids.
Did they think that just because they passed a law that old social norms were going to be forgotten over night? No way! it takes a long time to change norms like this unless you have nothing but a bunch of Thralls--and who would want a country full of those?

And before America starts getting to comfy about our situation---there is buzz of there being a push for birth restrictions here in the US as well....they began back in the 1970's around the time the 'Global Warming' stuff started.