In 1980, the One Child Policy of China became mandatory to control its increasing population. The original policy required couples to ask permission from the local officials before they have a child but it was revised in 2002 so that couples no longer need to ask permission. A couple can only have two children if the first child is a girl. However, after the second child, they can no longer have children. Although, there are some areas where the gender of the child does not matter, whether it is a boy or girl, they are only permitted to have one child.
The one-child policy has varying implementing rules depending on the location but there are exemptions such as the ethnic minorities, the rural residents who rely on their children for help in the farm and those couples who are only children, that is, they do not have any siblings.
Incentives are given to couples who follow the policy. They are awarded the “Certificate of Honor for Single-Child Parents” and together with this certificate are benefits like “longer maternity leave, interest-free loans, and other forms of social assistance and government subsidies such as better health care, state housing, and school enrollment”. Penalties are imposed for those who fail to comply. Couples who do not have the capacity to pay will have their properties seized or they are removed from their jobs or their children are ousted from the school.
The one-child policy of China has its pros and cons. The foremost advantage of this policy is that it was able to control the population growth of China. Estimates show that it has prevented more than 400 million births. Proponents of the policy claim that better education was provided for children who reside in the countryside. Aside from education, it is believed that the policy resulted in economic growth, better quality of life and the availability of social services to a greater number.
With population growth under control, the government allocates its limited resources more efficiently. According to Yu Yee-nee, the one-child policy is necessary for a better future for the millions of people of China and for “sustainable development and stable economic growth” (par 11).
China’s one-child policy has several disadvantages including an increase in forced late-term abortions and forced sterilization. According to China’s Health Ministry, the one-child policy has resulted in more than half a billion birth control procedures, including at least 336 million abortions, with 13 million abortions being performed per year and almost 196 million men and women being sterilized since 1971. Also, there have been reports of human rights violations by law enforcers such as forced evictions, beatings and harassment to those who cannot pay the fine.
Another drawback of China’s one-child policy is the practice of female infanticide wherein female fetuses or infants are aborted intentionally because of the preference for male children in the Chinese culture. China is now experiencing a gender imbalance because of its policy. It is estimated that by 2020, one in five young men in China will be without a bride because of the shortage of women.
The current demographic problems of China are being attributed to their one-child policy. The labor force is declining and there is a shortage of young workers because of its rapidly aging population. The tradition of having an extended family is now almost an impossibility. There is an increased burden on the only child who now has to take care of his parents and his maternal and paternal grandparents. Moreover, too much pressure is placed on the only child because he is expected to fulfill his parents’ dreams; thus, he should perform well in school and in other extra-curricular activities.
Chinese business entrepreneurs are now faced with the problem as to who will inherit their company and take the reins. Because of the one-child policy, there is a limited pool for leaders in family-owned businesses; thus, older generation will be forced to hand down the business to a successor who may not be well-equipped to handle the business. Economists fear that this may affect China’s economic development negatively.
The one-child policy of China has social and economic effects. The Chinese demographers say that their labor pool is shrinking, that is, 3.45 million in 2012 and the ratio of taxpayers to pensioners will decline to from approximately five to one at present to two to one by 2030. Another problem that is emerging is who will take care of aging parents if their only child died. Another result of China’s one-child policy is that the generation of the only child has made these individuals self-centered because of the pampering that they received from their families and their inexperience in living in a competitive environment. These are just some of the socio-economic concerns brought about by China’s one child policy.
Many Chinese policy makers are now thinking of relaxing China’s one-child policy, not because of humanitarian reasons but mainly because they are beginning to see the ill effects of the policy. In fact, some officials of China are now pushing for a two-child policy. One sign that China might just end this policy is the merger of the Family Planning Commission with the Health Ministry. The economic policies are now focused on demographics and the population policymaking was transferred to the National Development and Reform Commission .
Public sentiment is growing to end China’s one-child policy. Others claim that it will not make a difference since most couples really prefer having just one child. Some political leaders are wary that if the policy is ended, there may be a sudden growth in population. One’s view here is that the number of children that a couple wants to have should be solely their decision. Government should not meddle with the affairs of the family. At best, what government should do is to educate the couple about responsible parenthood through seminars or lectures on family planning. Government must inform families about the socio-economic effects of a high population growth. The responsibility of rearing a child is not the government’s, it is the parents’; thus, the government has no right to dictate upon the married couple the number of children they should have. The choice of having a child is a human right and government is not justified in interfering with this right.
Works Cited
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China-mike.com. "One Child Policy (for Dummies): A brief history, facts, & FAQ." 2011. china-mike.com. Web. 13 April 2013
Collins, Maria C. "The pros and cons of China's one-child policy." 2 February 2011. helium.com. Web. 13 April 2013
Hayes, Jeffrey. "One-child policy in China." December 2012. factsanddetails.com. Web. 13 April 2013
IBTimes China. "China's one-child polic backfires for entrepreneurs." 11 April 2013. ibtimes.com. Web. 13 April 2013
Lehmann, Richard. "Why China is finally abandoning its one child policy." 28 March 2013. forbes.com. Web. 13 April 2013
Moore, Malcolm. "336 million abortions under China's one-child policy." 15 March 2013. telegraph.co.uk. Web. 13 April 2013
Pak-ki, Ronald Ling and Elaine Yu Yee-nee. "Should China abandon its one-child policy?" 15 August 2012. scmp.com. 13 April 2013
The Economist. "Monks without a temple." 16 March 2013. economist.com. 13 April 2013
Wee, Sui-Lee and Hui Li. "Insight: The backroom battle delaying reform of China's one-child policy." 8 April 2013. reuters.com. 13 April 2013
