China's One Child Policy

China's One Child Policy

1. Reasons

   • They wanted to avoid a Malthusian type disaster
   • could only raise living standards if population growth was controlled

2. 1950-1959

   • People encouraged to have children
   • Idea that large population was a strong one
   • SUCCESSFUL
   • 1959 - serious famine, 20 million died

3. 1974-1979

   • People encouraged to have fewer children
     • 'Later, Longer, Fewer'
   • UNSUCCESSFUL
   • BR hardly changed

4. 1979-1990

   • One child policy introduced
     • Strong pressure to use contraception.
     • Special family-planning workers
     • 'Granny police'
     • Enforced abortions and sterilisations
     • SUCCESSFUL (URBAN)
     • EFFECTS: female infanticide. couples wanted sons as they could provide for family.

5. 1990s

   • policy relaxed
   • concerned about the impacts of an ageing population
   • still incouraged in remote areas

6. 2006

   • Annual growth rate fallen to 0.6%
   • fertility rate still 1.6
   • long term goal is still to stabilise the population growth by 2050