Two interesting pieces in the news last week pertaining to onlydom:

One on China:
China: Reining in the Rich on One-Child Policy

And one that reflects on work/family policy here in the US:
The Motherhood Experiment

Very clever the way this second piece, by Sharon Lerner, links women’s work/life issues, fertility rates, and national policy. Lerner notes that the U.S., with its largely hands-off approach to family policy, spends far less than other wealthy countries on child care while guaranteeing no paid parental leave–all of which leads women to feel that they must choose either work or motherhood. “As a result,” she concludes, “being an employed parent may be more difficult here than in countries now experiencing even the most severe baby droughts.”

Now here’s the part I love: Counter to the rhetoric of family-values champions, the promotion of larger families and the promotion of women’s careers may go hand in hand. Keep an eye out for Lerner’s book–it sounds smart.