One-Child Policy Issues in China - Essay Example

? One-child Policy Introduction The policy of one-child which was initially implemented by the government of People’s Republic of China in 1979, as atool for family planning looking at the grave consequence in the long term, has been viewed to be possible course of action that could be undertaken by other large democracies like US, India, etc. Apart from the government’s initiative to implement the one-child policy, a major section of the educated class of people in these countries has started to consider the advantages and the drawbacks of the one-child policy (Nayak 26). By controlling the birth rate, the government aimed to achieve social and economic balance by matching the supply level with the potential demand in the economies. The advantages and disadvantages of one-child policy could, however, be argued in the light of the results obtained over the years. Thesis Statement The one-child policy is an effective way of controlling the birth rate and to alleviate social, economic and environmental problems in the long term. Arguments on the policy of one-child The one-child policy was first proposed and introduced by the government in China from the year of 1979 by looking at the huge population base and possible population explosion in future (Newbold 35). The government was concerned about the social, economic and the environmental issues that could pose adverse consequences due to the rising population of the country. This is true for the other large democracies in the world like the US, India, Indonesia, etc. The one-child policy is aimed to bring about stability in the social and economic environment of the country. With the ever increasing population, the income level of the people is likely to suffer (DSCPG 67). The limitations in the employment opportunities and the distribution of limited opportunities among a large number of common people are supposed to pull down the standard of living and gross capital formation in the economy. The discrimination between the members of the society is likely to create situations of conflict among the common masses. Thus the increasing population with no control on the child birth rate is likely to bring about social imbalance and degradation of the national environment. The one-child policy was believed to be effective in addressing these social and economic problems (Fong 39). The one-child policy, however, has not been able to achieve the desired goals of attaining social and economic stability to the extent it desired. This has been due to the fact that the Population and Family planning Commission has implemented it in provincial levels and has been a matter of unequal enforcement. The relaxation of the policy in areas of the country which is densely populated has resulted in cancelling out the benefits of the policy achieved from other parts of the country. The families have been fined on the aspect of non-adherence to one child policy depending on their income levels. This led to the rise of hidden income and illegal money in the economy. The one-child policy has also been viewed a steps leading to human rights violation. The couples in the civilized societies have, however, started to realize the need of one-child with the rising expenditure from time to time and the decreasing gap between the income level and the cost of livelihood. It has been estimated that 33% of the US families had one child or kid thirty years back. Now, the number has been raised to 43%. This reflected a rise in awareness of the people in resorting to one child so that the household expenses could be met with the prevailing income level. The implementation of one-child policy and rise in awareness among the masses has helped to prevent millions of birth over the last thirty years. The family planning measures have helped to create a social and economic balance by reducing the level of poverty in the countries, increasing the standard of living with the available resources. The demand and supply equilibrium in the economies were maintained as good effects of the one-child policy. The various national infrastructural facilities for education, health, employment, etc could be made available to maximum number of members of the society that removed the discrimination among the masses. As a result of the one child policy, the families which were capable of raising more than one child adopted children who were orphans (Livi-Bacci 47). This brought about social justice after the implementation of one-child policy. The one-child policy, however, had adverse impacts on the society as well. It could be argued that these negative impacts cancelled out the benefits obtained from the policy implementation. Due to the policy of one-child, there was increasing number of cases where mothers had to undergo forced abortions in order to abide by the regulations. The awareness and moral support of the majority of common masses could not be attained who were, forced to adhere to the policy implemented by the government through acts of infanticide. This led to the rising number of female infanticide. Several children were even killed after birth and their births were not reported in order to avoid the penalties of violating the one-child policy. The policy also gave rise to a huge number of cases of unreported birth. The increasing number of female infanticide over the years has led to gender imbalance in the countries. This is an obvious concern for the government as the social balance is hampered due to these consequences of the one-child policy (Greenhalgh 57). Looking at the arguments and counter arguments for the one-child policy, the alternative policy measures could also be reviewed by the policy makers which could help to achieve the same results over a longer period of time and at the same time would help to reduce adverse consequences with respect to the social and economic environment of the country. The government could introduce policies aimed at spacing the occurrence of births at periodic intervals. The planned delay in the birth of a child for all the families could help to reduce the rapid birth rates and distribute the growth of population over a period of time in future. The alternative option would not only reduce the social discrimination and bring about economic balance in the country but would also address the under-reporting of child birth and the intentions to avoid penalties due to policy enforcement. The members of the society would not feel deprived of their human rights and cases of forced abortion and female infanticides in the society would decrease. Thus the alternative policies to one-child could help to achieve the same goals of the government. Conclusion The one-child policy has been introduced as a tool for controlling the population growth rate in order to alleviate the social and economic problems anticipated in future. The reduction of birth meant that the supplies could meet the potential demand of the households. Over the period of time, the families also started to become aware of the benefits of one child. Apart from managing the rising expenses of livelihood, the families were able to sustain their standards of livelihood. The restriction of one-child led to adoption of the orphan children which ensured social justice and eliminate the factors of social discrimination. The on-child policy, however, had several adverse impacts on the society. Some these adverse impacts include increase in forced abortion by the couples in order to avoid penalties of non-adherence to one-child policy. The number of female infanticides increased which caused gender imbalance in the country. The unequal enforcement of the one-child policy in several regions of the country cancelled out the positive impacts of the policy. The alternatives of the one-child policy are expected to produce the same benefits and at the same time eliminate the adverse impacts of the policy. Considering the above advantages and disadvantages, the one-child policy could be considered as beneficial to the society and the economy. Works Cited DSCPG. Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes: Studies from India, China, and the United States. USA: National Academies Press, 2001. Print. Fong, Vanessa. Only Hope: Coming of Age Under China's One-child Policy. USA: Stanford University Press, 2004. Print. Livi-Bacci, Massimo. A Concise History of World Population. USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print. Nayak, Satyam. An Overview of China's One Child Policy and Health Consequences on Society. USA: ProQuest, 2008. Print. Greenhalgh, Susan. Just One Child: Science and Policy in Deng's China. USA: University of California Press, 2008. Print. Read More