Introduction
The one-child policy in China is a policy for controlling the population of the country. This policy requires almost every family to limit the number of children to one. This policy was introduced by the Chinese government in 1979 during the rule of Chairman Mao. The purpose behind this policy was to reduce the problems of overpopulation that were directly impacting the society and environment of the country. However, this policy has turned out exceedingly controversial, both locally and internationally. According to the advocates of the one-child policy, this policy is meant to make China economically and socially stronger due to less population growth. On the other hand, the opponents of this policy believe that it child-birth is a sanctified and an undeniable right of people. The one-child policy must be abolished as it not only resulting in negative social and economic consequences for China, but is also creating an aged population for the most populated country in the world (Fong, 2004).
Argument
It is important to mention that when this policy was introduced, China was suffering from a severe problem concerning population growth. This is because Mao Zedongwho was ruling China at that time was an encouragerof large families. His encouragement doubled the population from more or less five hundred million in 1949 to just about a billion by 1979. The economic policies also undermined the ability of the country to survive in terms of food. For these reasons, many consider Deng Xiaoping government’s one-child policy is favored as it encouraged zero population growth. Even though the purpose behind zero growth is considered good for the country, the one-child policy must be abolished as it causesdreadful human costs. The one-child policy has not only increased the rates of forced late-term abortions, but has also made people choose abortions to select child sex. This policy has also created an exceedingly wide gender gap as well as caused traumatic depression in parents. It is, therefore, unacceptable of the government to act as if the reproduction of children is like the widgets’ production. It is extremely crucial to abandon the one-child policy as it is an act of manipulation and controlling for the achievement of an anticipated economic outcome (Fong, 2004).
There is no doubt that the one-child policy has caused several terrible consequences away from the reduction of population growth. The most notable thing is that the overall sex ratio in China has tilted toward the male population. As a tradition, male children are a preference as the first-born child in a family. In particular, the rural families give extreme importance to sons as they are the family name and property inheritors. Therefore, when the one-child policy was introduced, most families desired to have a male child. This is not an untold secret that the one-child policy has induced countless families for even killing baby girls under the pressure of the son being the first choice. It has been reported many times that several families even killed or starved girls and then tried again for a boy. Due to this reason, it is important to abandon this policy as the birth of a girl has become highly unwanted and disagreeable in the Chinese society. This policy also needs to be discontinued as it has resulted in an increase in abortions of fetuses after their sex determination as female. Moreover, the policy has also given rise to the number of abandoned female children or girls put in orphanages. In some cases, baby girls also suffered infanticide (Davis, 2005).
Another argument against the one-child policy is that it has weakened the family support networks. Currently, the one-child policy is nearing its next generation. It means that only one adult child has the responsibility of providing support for his parent(s) and grandparent(s). As a consequence, this has left the older generation to depend on the funds obtained from retirement or charity for surviving (Davis, 2005). It is important to mention that in case of the failure of pensions, savings, or state welfare, the Chinese senior citizens would have no option other than being entirely dependent on the small family they have. If the only child cannot provide support to his elder family members then the oldest generation could become absolutely destitute.
With the passage of time, the gap between the number of men and women in China has widened. As a consequence, the country is going through a situation where there are not enough females to marry. The one-child policy is expected to form a generation of males without females to tie the knot with. According to an estimate, there will be approximately forty million Chinese males incapable of marrying by 2020. This is because not many females will have been born due to the one-child policy. Many sociologists and anthropologists believe that this situation could prompt belligerent behavior among perturbed bachelors. Such an aggressive attitude may consequently lead to women trafficking and kidnapping (Bayron, 2009).
Although the one-child policy is advocated by many people for being beneficial for the young Chinese generation, it has given rise to the elderly people proportion in the country’s population. This is because there has been a simultaneousdescent in the number of children born since 1980. It is a real concern for Chinese people as the majority of Chinese senior citizens are reliant on the support of children after retirement. Due to the one-child policy, there are now fewer youngsters for supporting the elderly in the family (Davis, 2005).
Another consequence of the one-child policy is that it has created too many ‘only’ children. It has been reported that about hundred million people in China have no brother or sister. In the similar connection, the policy of reproducing only one child has fostered a generation of spoiled children as they are over-indulged by their parents. They are referred as ‘little emperors’ by the Chinese media due to the fact that they are spoiled by their parents. One-child policy has made the ‘only’ children to have poor social interaction and communication as they have no siblings.
Another negative consequence of the one-child policy is that there have been innumerable instances whereby parents did not report the subsequent births of children or did not report the births to authorities out of fear of punishment or fine imposition. Such undocumented children mostly face difficulties when they try to acquire education or get jobs. The one-child policy was meant to support the young generation of China. However, it has been proved at innumerable instances that thousands and thousands of Chinese youngsters have suffered due to the brutality of this policy. For this reason, it is the high time for Chinese government to make sure that it does not devise such policies where people are harmed economically, morally, and emotionally.
Conclusion
Chinese government needs to understand that there are other better ways to reduce population as compared to the one-child policy. There are a number of countries including Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand that have controlled their population by improving accessibility to contraceptives and giving sex awareness to their citizens. Moreover, India was also successful in achieving stabilization without introducing strict population control policies. As already mentioned, China can become successful in achieving population-size sustainability without the implementation of the one-child policy. It can choose alternative means as India did without coercive actions or frequent brutality from the government in an attempt to reduce population growth.
Similarly, Chinese government must realize that a solid population growth is a good thing for the country. It must be understood that an increasing population is a characteristic of a society that is prosperous and healthy. It must not be considered the start of the ending of China. Although, population increase is pressurizing for any country as it impacts everything from public services and facilities to accommodation and transport. However, increasing population growth is also important for the economic growth. Moreover, the one-child policy is a violation of human rights as it directly impacts the human rights of reproduction. China is excessively criticized for violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that grants every individual the right of ‘founding a family’. In addition, China is also criticized to violate women rights as it forces abortions on them if they conceive after the birth of their first child. Even though, the forceful abortions have been banned by the central government of China, this practice still persists in many parts of the country.
References
Bayron, H. (2009, October 31). Experts: China's One-Child Population Policy Producing Socio-Economic Problems. Retrieved November 27, 2014, from http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2006-03-07-voa38/312420.html
Davis, E. (2005). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture. London: Routledge.
Fong, V. (2004). Only Hope: Coming of Age Under China's One-child Policy. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.
