Analysis of One-Child Policy - Essay Example

of the English of the Concerned 13 April One-Child Policy Introduction As far as the science and art of developmental economics is concerned, the impact of population on the economic development of a nation is a theme about which there exists an abundance of literature. The assessments of the varied schools of economics regarding the influence of the population and the demographic makeup of a nation on its economic development tend to vary a lot. While some schools of economics happen to be utterly optimistic regarding this issue, others happen to be cynically pessimistic. Most of the China observers while delving on the nature of global peace and development tend to focus on China’s economy, its defense and armaments buildup and China’s access to resources and energy. Yet, the one economic factor that is often overlooked in this analysis is China’s one child policy and it’s fast changing demography. China happens to be the world’s most populated nation. Right after the coming into existence of the People’s Republic of China, the nation experienced a propitious population growth owing to a better medical care and sanitation and this population growth was envisioned to be an advantage (Button 468). Mao Zedong believed that even if the population of China augmented manifold, the nation had the resources to cope up with it. However, a fast increasing population putting stress on the nation’s food security encouraged the government to opt for a one child policy in 1979, a measure that had both favorable and bad consequences for the nation’s economic growth, demographic configuration and socio-economic characteristics (Button 467). One Child Policy There is no denying the fact that in the case of underdeveloped nations, supporting and sustaining population in the light of the available scarce resources is a great challenge. In that context China had always been pursuing a very planned and systematic approach towards its population growth in a contemporary scenario. In the light of this fact, the nation introduced the one child policy in 1979, in an aggressive bid to improve its economic situation and to augment the people’s standard of living (Connor 1). The one child policy required the couples belonging to ethnic Han majority to limit themselves to a single child (Connor 1). Although, to begin with, the one child policy was intended to be a short term measure, the nation’s success in reducing the population count by 400 million motivated it to continue with a revised version of the one child policy till today (Connor 1). As per China’s one child policy the urban couples are allowed only to have a single child, exceptions being considered only in the case of couples who hail from some ethnic minority. In rural areas the couples are allowed to extend formal requests for a second child in case their first child happens to be a daughter. The couples belonging to ethnic minorities are allowed to have up to three children. The China’s population laws expect people to opt for family planning and birth control. Those adhering to the state norms are oft rewarded in terms of certificates, loans and social assistance while the couples going against the official population policy are punished in the form of fines, confiscation of property and official sanctions if they are employed with the state institutions (Connor 1). Besides, in case a couple has more than one child, the excess children may also be penalized in the form of health associated and education related penalties. National Population and Family Planning Commission of China (NPFPC) is the statutory organization that is responsible for the management of China’s one child policy by extending the birth control and contraceptive help and assistance (Connor 1). Advantages of One Child Policy It goes without saying that for a developing nation like China, its one child policy has indeed delivered results in the sense that it yielded many economic advantages to a nation that evinced a massive population growth in the 50s and 60s. As per the claims made by the state authorities, its one child policy negated 250 million to 300 million extra births right from the day of its conception till the year 2000, and reduced roughly 400 million births in the period 1979-2011 (Cabrera 1). Hence, it is a fact that China accrued many economic and environmental advantages since the implementation of its one child policy (Perry & Selden 199). The one child policy being adhered to by China helped its plans to be an economically and financially stable nation. Though, it is difficult to estimate as to how bad things would have been for China, had it not come out with a one child policy, still many experts believe that this policy did a lot to stabilize its economic, environmental and food security related situation. It is often claimed that one child policy gave way to many social issues in China; still it is a fact that the current robust economic health of China had a lot to do with the one child policy (Perry & Selden 199). In a way it was imperative for China to resort to a drastic measure like one child policy to be able to resuscitate its debilitating economic health and food security situation (Greenhalgh & Winckler 235). It tremendously slowed down China’s augmenting population and helped it focus its resources on improving the standard of living of its existent population (Greenhalgh & Winckler 235). Especially the one child policy helped dilute the population density in the Eastern parts of China. Without resorting to an extreme measure like this, it would not have been possible for China to augment its per capita income. One child policy bettered the food supply situation. It also resulted in more resources that could be dedicated to child development. It bettered the standard of living of the people and facilitated the resources that could be spent on extending better healthcare. As people spent fewer resources owing to fewer children, it also boosted the saving rates in the nation. This policy also allowed China to manage its employment situation and assure a steady supply of labor. In many ways the one child policy improved the living situation and economic parameters in China. Disadvantages of One Child Policy On factor that has turned the one child policy to the disadvantage of the Chinese people is the salient social preference in the favor of a mail child. Women and families often resort to the exploitation of the modern technologies like ultrasound to ascertain whether the child to be born is boy or a girl and if it happens to be a female child, it is aborted. This has increased the incidence of female feticide in China. People prefer to opt for male babies because they believe that a male family member will be able to earn more and hence will take better care of them. This policy has given way to a demographic imbalance in China. Currently China has 120 men to every 100 women (Chang 10). This may not sound much however when this statistics is interpreted in the context of a populous country like China it means that almost 16 million men will not be able to marry in China (Chang 10). On the one side it causes an inability to carry on the family line and on the other side it is giving way to psychiatric problems for the males in China. Besides, a shrinking number of women in China is also augmenting pressure on the women and is making them more vulnerable to crime (Ross 66). This policy is also disfavoring the women in the sense that considering the dwindling of women in China, it is a possibility that the society may start envisioning women as a mere commodity than as an actual person (Ross 66). Already there has been a rise in the number of female kidnappings in China so as to be sold as wives to willing buyers (Ross 66). The number of prostitutes and the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases have also been on the rise (Ross 66). No doubt, one child policy is causing serious societal issues in China that will require much concern and resources in the future. With the number of children in the families reduced to one, the families often put children under immense pressure so as to better educate and discipline them. On the other side child the children also tend to get spoiled in the sense that being the only child with many resources in the family accessible to them, there is a greater chance that children may get way led by a lack of discipline and abundance within the families (Cabrera 1). One child policy and the consequent dwindling of young people have also led to a decline in the number of young couples willing to care for their parents and grandparents (Cabrera 1). This gives way to the neglect of the care and medical upkeep of the elderly in China. Besides, in families with single child if the only child dies owing to some reasons, this leaves the parents alone and abandoned. One child policy has also led to a rise in the number of the elderly people in China and a dwindling number of the young people, which could lead to serious repercussions (Cabrera 1). Conclusion One child policy was adopted by China in times when it was facing serious economic problems. In the present context when the Chinese economy is going through a very favorable phase, it is time that the Chinese government rethinks the merits and demerits of this policy so as to ameliorate the stark societal problems it is causing. Works Cited Button, Graham. “China’s One-Child Policy and Population Explosion”. Indian Journal of Economics and Business 10.4 (2011): 467-470. Print. Cabrera, Dayana. “One Child Policy Provides Economic Benefits, Social Disadvantages”. The State Press 29 January, 2013. Web. 13 April 2013. Chang, Mina. “Tipping the Scale: Gender Imbalance in China”. Harvard International Review 30.1 (2008): 10-11. Print. Connor, Steve. “One Child Policy: China’s Army of Little Emperors. The Independent 10 January 2013. Web. 13 April 2013. Greenhalgh, Susan & Winckler, Edwin A. Governing China’s Population. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2005. Print. Perry, Elizabeth J & Selden, Mark. Chinese Society. New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. Print. Ross, Kaz. “China and Women’s Liberation: Re-Assessing the Relationship through Population Policies”. Hecate 36.1.2 (2010): 66-72. Print. Read More