Public Health: Family Planning Policy in China to focus on Quality of Life - Essay Example

? Public Health: Family Planning Policy in China to focus on Quality of Life. It is without doubt that overpopulation is still one of the challenges to economic and social development in any given country. For this reason, China has been struggling with the problem of overpopulation for a very long time now. The country, currently, has a population of about 1.34 billion people (Zeng 23). As a matter of fact, it is the mostly populated country in the whole world. For this reasons, the Government has implemented a number of policies to counter the high population growth and resulting challenges. However, this has not been very much successful, and other strategies, such as one-child policy are facing a lot of condemnation from various sectors. Thus, new developments in the government policy for family planning are continually being sought. Over the last 5 years, China has witnessed events that have shaped and continued to shape its policy on family planning and population control. These events have defined the demographic characteristics of the Chinese population, and have triggered some highly influential changes (Orleans 29). One such event is the decision (made in late 2011 and reported by Xinhuanet.com) by the Chinese central government to maintain its strict one-child policy and continue regulating births by implementing other family methods. This hard-line stance was punctuated by the decision to reject local governments’ applications to permit couples to have second babies if it was determined that either of the spouses was a single child. The government decided that it was imperative that the country’s reproduction rate be kept low in order to enhance social and economic growth (Peng 51). Connecting Concepts to the Current Event Demographic Dividend Demographic dividend is referred to as losses or gains in per capita income as a result of changes in the age structure of a population. It is usually expressed as the “dependency ratio”, and it is very visible in the economic growth of China. China used to enjoy a healthy dependency ratio, but it began to rise alarmingly. This has been marked by two major aspects: a drastic decline in fertility over a short period of time and a sharp rise in mortality coupled with a drop in fertility. The country’s strict one-child policy has clearly played an influential role in the rise of the demographic dividend (Zeng 61). To illustrate this, we would have to go back to the 1950s and 60s that were marked by a high total fertility rate (TFR) and a population explosion that had never been witnessed anywhere in the world before (Peng 12). Upon noticing that the country was struggling to cope with its population, and that a huge strain was being placed on vital social and economic services, the government came up with the one-child policy in early 1970s. According to Zeng (34), the result of this was a rapid decline in the total fertility rate (TFR) from 6 (in the 60s) to just 2 by the beginning of 1980, and a mere 1.5 by the early 2000s. Other consequences were an increase in life expectancy and a rapidly aging population. All the above-mentioned factors have had a major role in the rise of the dependency ratio, resulting in labor becoming expensive. To highlight this, big businesses that had previously taken advantage of cheap labor in China have begun leaving. Companies like Nike, Adidas and Fort China are abandoning the Chinese labor market for other cheaper alternatives. Demographic Transition Demographic transition in China started with mortality decline, a process which was highly compressed, followed by a rapid increase in life expectancy in just 20 years. For example, in 1950 life expectancy (at birth) for Chinese girls was just 46 years, a level which took the United States and other more advanced European nations a century to achieve (Orleans 23). It was however almost 30 years less than the figure achieved in the United States and developed European nations in 1950. What happened in the next 50 years left the whole world trying to understand how China had made it all possible: the life expectancy rose from the 40s to above 70 years. By the year 2000, China’s female life expectancy was just 5 years lower than that of the United States (75/80). This can be illustrated as follows: Before 1949: life expectancy was below 36 years 1949-1958: An extremely successful healthcare program coupled with better nutrition culminated in a drastic decline in mortality rates. The birth rate was high and therefore population increase was rapid. 1958-1963: The Great Leap Forward, forced industrialization, low agricultural production and political mismanagement brought about a devastating famine which caused the deaths of almost 30 million people. Consequently, the mortality rate surpassed birth rates. 1962-1980: The famine was followed by a baby boom in the 60s, followed by the one-child policy which resulted in a decline in fertility and rates. 1980-1990: Slow economic growth, the harsh one-child policy and a trade imbalance meant that the birth rate continued to fall. 1990- Today: Life expectancy has reached its peak, fertility rates (TFR) have fallen to below-replacement levels and it is estimated that the country’s population will begin shrinking. A look at China’s demographic transition reveals that the one-child policy has influenced it in a major way. From 1962 until now, the country’s program has resulted in a rapid decline in fertility, low birth rates, higher mortality rates and higher life expectancy levels. These are the hallmarks of China’s demographic transition. Population Momentum Population momentum is defined as the tendency of a population to continue growing despite a decline in fertility rates (TFR). In China’s case, the population continued growing even after the introduction of the one-child policy. In spite of the fact that birth rates dropped significantly, the huge population of maturing youth acted as a buffer. When the one-child policy came into effect in 1979, the number of maturing adults was based on births during 1950s rather than 1979. Owing to this, the population of China maintained the same momentum like over the past 20 years (Orleans 72). However, the last 10 years has witnessed a slowing down of the momentum because the birth rate has declined and the maturing youth of 1970s have become adults and the aging population has increased significantly. This means that the impact of the one-child policy is finally being seen, and mortality rates (together with aging) are now catching up with the birth rate. Conclusion The real effects of China’s one-child policy are finally being seen. As the life expectancy rises and the birth rate declines, the country’s population is (gradually) beginning to shrink. The workforce is declining and as a result labor is also becoming expensive. Works Cited Orleans, Leo A. Every fifth child: the population of China. London: Eyre Methuen, 2002. Print. Peng, Xizhe. Demographic transition in China: fertility trends since the 1950s. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2010. Print. Zeng, Yi. Family dynamics in China: a life table analysis. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001. Print. Read More