Governmental+Policies+and+Beliefs

China’s Government Policy towards Population Growth:
China’s population has risen over the past sixty years. During the 1950’s China’s national philosophy stated “a strong population made a strong nation.” People were encouraged to have many children. As China developed, medical care and food supplies were improved. This change caused the death rate to decline and the birth rate to remain the same. Therefore because of the development as well as the national philosophy, the population rose tremendously. However, with the industrial revolution, China underwent the 'Great Leap Forward' during which farming was neglected and industry was considered the most important aspect of the China. Because of this a famine broke out, and infant mortality rates rose. After the improved industrial development of China, the Cultural Revolution followed, implementing that Chinese culture was of the utmost importance. Because of this, any attempts to control the increasing population were thwarted. The 'Great Leap Forward' did not control the population, but rather inspired Chinese people to rebuild the population by having more children. The population was growing at a dangerous and rapidly increasing rate. By the 1970’s family planning methods were introduced, however the TFR remained at around three. The philosophy of wan-xi-shao, or “later, longer, fewer” was implemented, and Chinese citizens were encouraged to marry later, wait longer between children, and have fewer children. Lui Zeng, a Chinese demographer, calculated that for the Chinese population to reach 700 million, the TFR would need to be 1.5 children per woman. The state decided to therefore implement the ‘One Child Policy’ in 1979, stating that women should have only one child.

Implementation of Anti-Natalist “One Child Policy”
http://www.tacomacc.edu/home/yli/images/cartoons/cartoon29.png (Cartoon encouraging the 'One Child Policy' in China)

Prior to 1979, the ‘One Child’ policy was enforced with vigor. For example:
 * Couples who had more than one child were economically punished.
 * Women pregnant for the second time were over coerced into having an abortion.
 * Work places and homes were subject to visits from family-planning officials
 * Contraceptive advice and devices were pressed upon the people and over 80 percent of married women had access to contraception.
 * Frequent murder of female infants due to families wanting the traditionally more accepted boy child

After 1987, the government relaxed its policy somewhat due to cases of coercion and brutality, also somewhat due to the fact that the policy was generally working well. New exceptions were instigated:
 * The Han (92 percent of Chinese population) were allowed one child only
 * Unless child was mentally or physically handicapped, or died; in this case parents could apply for a second child.
 * Rural areas: famers could have a second child if their first was a boy
 * Minority groups (living in rural provinces) were allowed two children. In an incredibly isolated area, up to four children were allowed.
 * Han people having two children must pay a fine; however amount ranged depending on where the family lived.
 * In the even of twins, the government would pay the extra fines.
 * If two people were both only children, they may apply to have two children.

As education rates rose in China, it became more rare for couples to event apply for one child. Most people in urban areas of China understood the need for the policy, and followed it. Children and parents recognized that the policy actually raised the standard of living. As a general statement, the policy was fairly successful after enforcement tactics became more relaxed.

China is considering enforcing several different types of family planning now, for the first time, in rural areas to encourage general education of couples; which will eventually lead to a more natural lowered TFR. Also more exceptions may be added in the future, assuming the policy continues to work well.

Success of ‘One Child Policy'
The birth rate in China had fallen from 44 per 1000 in 1950 to 16 in 1999. Clearly the ‘One Child Policy’ was working well in terms of lowering the TFR and therefore total population of the country.

The ‘One Child Policy’ did risk internal conflict as well as bringing international criticism. China struggled with these things throughout the stricter years of the policy (1979-1989), but as the policy was made more ‘realistic’ for the country, i.e. exceptions were allowed and enforcement lessened in terms of brutality, the policy eventually reached it’s goal: a lower TFR and therefore lower population.

Without the implementation, and one could argue, without the initial strict implementation, China’s population would have risen to a phenomenally high rate, eventually harming not only the country’s recourses, but the world’s. To put it in statistical terms, 70 million, instead of 300 million children were born in the first two decades of the policy’s implementation. Clearly the policy was a success; though it may have caused internal population and cultural issues. These issues consisted mostly of the unfair treatment of females: both maternal and infant. The mothers living in China for the first ten years that the policy was introduced lived a very difficult life if they desired more than one child. It proved difficult to change the view point of all families to ‘one child only’ after the pro-natalist philosophy had been so heavily implemented all the years before. This came with some tension from mothers, and thus occasional brutality from the government. And for female infants, because of the preference for boys traditionally, they were often killed during the first ten years of the policy, and even today (though the female infant mortality rate has definitely lowered.) Clearly China’s ‘One Child Policy’ did present some issues, but in the end, it was a necessary hardship.

Sources:

GAIA – Pages 380-383

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