Chinas One-Child Policy - Case Study Example

Case Study – China’s One Child Policy Outline Introduction: The essay aims to presents detailed analysis of the case study focused upon ‘China One Child ‎policy’. The policy aims to restrict the population growth by putting restriction on the number of children ‎a Chinese couple could have (Merli and Raftery, 2000). ‎ What is One Child Policy? ‎: In China the policy behind birth planning is more popularly and commonly known as the “one ‎child policy”. ‎The committee claims that about approximately 36% of China’s population is subjected to the ‎one child restriction policy (Christoph, 2010).‎ Implementation and History: China was at the verge of being overcrowded due to which a number of social and economic ‎problems also occurred (Christoph, 2010).‎ Environmental Issue: The main reason and environmental science driving the whole policy is considered to be the ‎overpopulation. China covers around one fifth of the world’s population whereas it has quite a ‎lesser proportion when it comes to arable land. ‎ Issues related to one Child Policy: The program or policy has even been considered as the main reason behind the problem prevailing ‎in China nowadays which is the gender imbalance (Fong, 2006).‎ Benefits Due to the One Child Policy: The policy has assisted in economic fields as there has been a decrease in unemployment ‎and natural resources. The rate of exploitation has also drastically dropped down (Fong, 2006). ‎ Detailed Description of Policy: One child policy is overall an extremely controversial topic that is always in debates across ‎the planet. At every place you will find some believers and so as the disbelievers of the policy. ‎ Promotion: The overall scenario by the government was seen and they believed that a birth control policy ‎was extremely significant in order to avoid the problems faced by China then and even to avoid ‎the threats in the upcoming days. ‎ Current Status: In 2010, according to a report and survey it was estimated that these days the policy ‎implementation hasn’t been up to the mark and numerous families are violating it (Hvistendahl, ‎‎2010). ‎ Conclusion: The Chinese government claims that their one child policy had caused about three to four ‎hundred million fewer people in 2008. It is therefore the Chinese leaders and authorities believe ‎it as a great and leaping success towards helping and improving China’s current economic ‎growth. ‎ Introduction The essay aims to presents detailed analysis of the case study focused upon ‘China One Child policy’. The policy basically refers to population control measures implemented by the Chinese government with the intention to control the growth of the population of the country. The policy aims to restrict the population growth by putting restriction on the number of children a Chinese couple could have (Merli and Raftery, 2000). The essay presents an overview of the policy and describes the major issues associated with the policy. The policy has been analyzed in the context of environmental science in order to identify the ways in which the policy has affected the environmental scenario in China. It has been unveiled that there were several benefits of the policy claimed by the government and authorities but at the same time it was also criticized on the grounds of human rights violation. What is One Child Policy? In China the policy behind birth planning is more popularly and commonly known as the “one child policy”. The Chinese government places the policy under the banner of family planning policy. The policy’s main purpose is to officially restrict married couples to having one child. The exemptions are only for ethnic minorities, foreigners residing in China and parents without any siblings themselves otherwise it is implemented in every couple. The committee claims that about approximately 36% of China’s population is subjected to the one child restriction policy (Christoph, 2010). Implementation and History When the country was founded it was in extreme conditions so the leaders then decided to increase population in order to have more labor and man power. This step caused a swelling increase in population as the population grew to about 790 million. The leaders of China by 1966 especially after the famine realized the importance of controlling the population. The famine in 1966 caused the lives of about 30 million people so it alarmed the government to restrict population as otherwise such calamities would take tons of lives again. Furthermore, China was at the verge of being overcrowded due to which a number of social and economic problems also occurred (Christoph, 2010). Soon after the famine attack the Chinese leaders joined their brains to formulate some procedures. By 1969, the Chinese government came up with the slogan of “Late, long and few”. This step proved quite popular and it did proved to be speed breaker to population growth. Policies continued and by the use of media and different programs, awareness was spread among people. It was until 1978 when the Chinese government took the bold step and the one child policy was introduced in order to alleviate for the different social, economic and environmental problems faced by China. It proved to be quite a stunner as it did affected population control to large prospects. According to the authorities approximately 250 million births have been prevented between 1980 and 2000. Whereas, the number tally shot up to 400 million prevented births between 1979 and 2011. There were a numerous reasons behind the implementation of such a policy (Fong, 2006). Environmental Issue The main reason and environmental science driving the whole policy is considered to be the overpopulation. China covers around one fifth of the world’s population whereas it has quite a lesser proportion when it comes to arable land. The famine attack was just an indication to what over population could lead to and what disastrous problems it can cause. Moreover over population was always a threat to debacle the country’s economy and other social sectors. So the leaders decided to take some initiatives. The use of contraceptives, abortions and other such birth control methods were fostered by the Chinese government. Couples who gave birth to another child were fined half of their income. Such steps were taken only with the intent to decrease the flow rate of population (Hvistendahl, 2010). Issues related to one Child Policy The policy has also faced a lot of issues and is still controversial both within and outside China. It has even faced some negative social consequences. Among different negative social consequences caused by the one child policy are an increase in forced abortions, female infanticide and underreporting of female births. The program or policy has even been considered as the main reason behind the problem prevailing in China nowadays which is the gender imbalance (Fong, 2006). In Chinese culture men (boys) or sons are considered to carry out the family businesses, trade and carry their family name forward whereas daughters are believed to leave one day as they will be married. Due to the implementation of the one child policy, couples preferred to have their only child as their son and not daughters so abortion was done when it was expected a female birth. This eventually caused a gender imbalance and the ratio of male to female increased significantly during the late 1980’s. The government tried to take some measures and ultrasound scanning was banned. It probably was a bit too late as the difference between both the genders today counts up to 32 million. Parents who do not believe in abortion have been even forced to leave China and look for other countries as their destination. The reason is to avoid the heavy fine they would have to pay for an extra child (Merli and Raftery, 2000). Western scholars have researched and worked upon the differences between a behavior of a single child and a child with siblings. Children with siblings have the added advantage of exchanging amongst each other all types of social and academic experiences helping them to share their stuff. Moreover, single children are more likely suspects to be the cause of depression or personality disorder. Thirdly, because parents treat their only child with a lot of care and vigilance so it is common to notify that only children are usually less independent than the children with siblings. Another problem for China regarding this policy has been the risk of creating a more aged population (Greenhalgh, 2003). Benefits Due to the One Child Policy On the contrary the one child policy has also had its positives and also rode off the potential threats that were expected due to an increased population. The first and major impact was imparted up upon the health care. It is proved that due to the control on population a better health service for women is provided. This has also contributed in increased standards of maternity homes and the deaths and risks regarding pregnancy have certainly decreased (Hvistendahl, 2010). The one child policy has also helped the citizens of China to increase their savings rate reasons being firstly as there will be lesser money and time spent on children, which would eventually give many Chinese an opportunity to invest. Secondly, since people do not rely on children to look for them in old age so there is a reason for them to save money for their future. The policy has further assisted in economic fields as there has been a decrease in unemployment and natural resources. The rate of exploitation has also drastically dropped down (Fong, 2006). Detailed Description of Policy One child policy is overall an extremely controversial topic that is always in debates across the planet. At every place you will find some believers and so as the disbelievers of the policy. Chinese government had a firm faith in the policy as other than the reasons described above there were other socio economic factors that forced the government to implement such a policy. The economy had to turmoil down since it was not enough to feed such a vast population (Hvistendahl, 2010). The area to population ratio was continually decreasing. Famines and food shortages were continuous threats. There was a threat that an increase in population to such an extent could seriously affect different institutions such as medical facilities, education programs and etc. Though there were even some people who believed that increased population was beneficial such as Hu Yaobang who had a firm faith that increased population would bring more man power and thus success. Promotion The overall scenario by the government was seen and they believed that a birth control policy was extremely significant in order to avoid the problems faced by China then and even to avoid the threats in the upcoming days. The policy was implemented and strict measures were taken against those denying the acceptance of it. The Chinese government ensured their best to implement the policy completely across China. Other than the promotion of contraceptives and awareness programs other social steps were also taken up by the government (Greenhalgh, 2003). One of the other steps taken by the government was the discrimination between a one child family and others. One child families were given better jobs, better pay salaries, better recreation facilities, better education facilities and etc. Families with more than one child were deprived of these things and were also subjected to social discrimination in one way or the other. The intent behind all such steps was to keep the policy alive and happening. Catchy slogans were raised in order to promote the one child policy all over China. Extensive attempts were usually made in the countryside. There were slogans such as “Have fewer children and plant more trees. Have fewer children and raise more pigs” and “To have a second or more children means to lose all possessions and family fortunes”. Such slogans intent was to greed people about money and to make them realize that they could contribute to increasing their financial status and the country’s economy as well by raising fewer children (Fong, 2006). Current Status Talking about the recent news regarding the one child policy China’s national population and family planning commission have made it clear that the policy would still continue until at least 2015. In 2010, according to a report and survey it was estimated that these days the policy implementation hasn’t been up to the mark and numerous families are violating it (Hvistendahl, 2010). The fertility rate after the introduction of this policy fell from 2.63 births per woman in 1980 to 1.61 in 2009. Though according to a survey in 2008 conducted in China there were about 76% people who were in favor of the one child policy indicating the popularity it had gained in the two decades. The recent addition to the family planning program of China is that in March 2011 the government has announced and allowed the couples to have two children. Conclusion The Chinese government claims that their one child policy had caused about three to four hundred million fewer people in 2008. It is therefore the Chinese leaders and authorities believe it as a great and leaping success towards helping and improving China’s current economic growth. The reduction in the fertility rate had also had major positive impacts in the health and social sector (such as education and law enforcement). Overall if we ponder over the policy we can finally predict as to why it was so controversial. It had both the pros and cons compatible. It definitely did achieve the desired goals for which it was implemented. The population growth faced a barrier and eventually there was an increase in the economic growth though it did also bring in some of the social evils. The voting bar even after twenty years of implementation could possibly prove to be an example of its success. The debate could still prelude as there is still the question which remains that does the government has enough rights to get into personal matters and restrict individual freedom. China went against the democratic laws to make the one child policy implementation possible and they were successful in their attempts yet the question again comes that was that the right way? May be or may be not and the debate continues. References: Christoph, J. (2010). Moral Issues and Concerns about Chinas One-Child Policy: A Cosmopolitan Perspective. China: GRIN Verlag. Fong, V. (2006). Only Hope: Coming of Age under Chinas One-Child Policy. London: Stanford University Press. Greenhalgh, S. (2003). "Science, Modernity, and the Making of Chinas One-Child Policy", Population and Development Review 29 (6) p163–196. Hvistendahl, M. (2010). "Has China Outgrown The One-Child Policy?” Science 329 (5998) p1458–1461. Merli, M. G., Raftery, A. E. (2000). "Are births underreported in rural China?” Demography 37 (1) p109 126. Read More