Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

I suddenly realized by accident that Chinese children do not have brothers and sisters. I mean just imagine a whole country... hundreds of millions of children... not one has a brother or a sister. Imagine a sixth of a population of the planet shudder when it hears words like "brotherly affection". Life must be so different there.



It's called Little Emperor Syndrome[0]. The kids are spoiled rotten, but they also have immense pressure to succeed academically.

0: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Little_Empero...


And without brothers or sisters, children won't have uncles or aunts. Family trees will be tall and narrow, not bushy.

Most developed countries are already producing children at less than replacement population rate. They will face the same situation in a couple generations.


That 'not one has a brother or sister' isn't completely true. In many cases, especially in rural areas, there are families with two children, the older of which is a girl.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: