Introduction
One problem in today’s society is the problem of population growth. While some countries are facing the challenges of having a low fertility rate and an aging population and the government encourages childbearing, China has implemented a one-child policy because of a sense of crisis over population growth. What was the purpose of this policy, and was it successful?
For how long did the one-child policy last?
In 1980, China’s one-child policy began, and it was heavily enforced, with violators fined and frequently forced to have abortions. In January 2016, China officially ended its one-child policy and transitioned to a two-child policy, followed by the introduction of a three-child policy in May 2021 (Mullen, 2021).
What was the one-child policy about?
The One-Child Policy is a regulation enforced by the Chinese government that states that the majority of the population must have only one child. It was meant to mitigate the social, economic, and environmental problems associated with population growth. It was implemented in 1979 and phased out by 2015 (Hayes, 2021).
Consequences of the one-child policy
The one-child policy brought about more than the goal of controlling population growth. Most strikingly, the country’s total sex balance has become more skewed toward males, with men outnumbering women by 3 to 4 percent. Historically, boys (especially firstborns) are preferred, especially in farming communities. This is because sons inherit the wealth and the family name and are responsible for taking care of their aging parents. As a result, ultrasound sex determination became available, more female fetuses were aborted, more female children were left in orphanages or abandoned, and even female infanticide occurred (the preference for boys resulted in tens of thousands of Chinese girls being adopted by families in the United States and elsewhere). Eventually, the gap between the sexes widened, and when these children reached adulthood, fewer women were able to marry (Pletcher, 2021). Stuart Gietelbasten, associate professor of social policy at the University of Oxford, says that it is “very unbelievable” that this policy has had such a large impact. He contends that most of China’s fertility decline occurred in the 1970s, from 5.8 children per woman in 1970 to 2.7 in 1978. By 2013, it had dropped to 1.7, despite the one-child policy (Parkinson, 2015).
Conclusion
China’s one-child policy is believed to have had the effect of controlling population growth by 400 million people. However, since the end of this policy, couples have expressed hesitancy to have a second child because of economic concerns and their own careers. Although the policy has had a curbing effect for a time, how will it affect the economy in the future?
Reference
Hayes, A. (2021). One-Child Policy. [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/one-child-policy.asp [Accessed 24 November 2022].
Mullen, A. (2021). What was China’s one-child policy and why was it so controversial? [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3135510/chinas-one-child-policy-what-was-it-and-what-impact-did-it [Accessed 24 November 2022].
Parkinson, J. (2015). Five numbers that sum up China’s one-child policy. BBC News. [online] 29 Oct. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34666440 [Accessed 24 November 2022].
Pletcher, K. (2021). one-child policy – Consequences of China’s one-child policy. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/one-child-policy/Consequences-of-Chinas-one-child-policy [Accessed 24 November 2022].
