BEIJING -- An extra month off and $80 monthly stipends and 30-day days of additional leave part of a series of sweetners local governments have unveiled as China kicks off the legislative process to allow married couples to have a third child in a drive to curb a precipitous decline in births.
The push comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping ramps up efforts to encourage families to have more children. A shrinking workforce and increased social spending have stoked concerns that China's economic growth may slow and hamper the country in its growing rivalry with the U.S. But fiscal constraints and rising living and education expenses loom heavy over China's campaign to prevent a demographic crisis.
