In a surprising about face on the one child policy, authorities in Shanghai have launched a campaign to encourage couples to have a second kid, as long as both of them were only children themselves. The Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission said today that officials would be visiting these specific families, publicizing the policy for allowing a second child and providing consulting services. Why the change? It seems that Shanghai is getting increasingly worried about its growing elderly population and is hoping to prevent future labor shortages. So if you live in Shanghai, were an only child, and married someone else who was an only child, the government is now telling you to "Have Children." Source: Xinhua more ›

Bucking tradition, Shanghainese parents are agreeing to have more female children and causing the boy-heavy gender imbalance in the city to decline for the first time in eight years. Boys are now only born 114.8 to every 100 girls, down from 115.2 in 2007. The natural ratio for boy to girl births: around 105:100. Okay, so it's still a ways off from reflecting nature, but any improvement at all is good news for womenfolk (and the menfolk who pursue them). Even better, it seems that the city influences migrant workers - their male:female birth ratio fell from 123.4:100 to a significantly lower 121.9:100. Source: Xinhua more ›