Has the One Child Policy in China successfully accomplished what it set out to achieve?

Has the One Child Policy in China successfully accomplished what it set out to achieve?

1. YES

   • Reducing the population
     • It has stopped the birth of at least 400 million childrenfrom about 1979 to 2011
       • POSTIVES
         • Prevents over-population
         • Fair-share of jobs
     • Chinese government officials have also stated, "compared with the world's other developing countries with large populations, we have realised this transformation half a century ahead of time." - BBC
   • Has aided the reduction of government expenditure on health and housing
   • Greater enrichment of families
     • More oppurtunities
     • More money to spend on enrichment rather than healthcare and housing
   • Lower the fertility rate
     • The fertility rate in China fell from 2.63 births per woman in 1980 to 1.61 in 2009
   • Poverty eradication
     • In China’s poor areas, economic and cultural backwardness and too many births often interact as both cause and effect. The Chinese government alleviated poverty by promoting family planning, holding population growth under control, and raising the life quality of the population in those areas.

2. NO

   • Ageing population
     • EG: 1/4 of people in Shanghai are over 60 years of age
     • 4-2-1 problem
     • negative population growth
   • Little Emperor Syndrome
     • Child obesity levels increased
       • CIA " 8% of 10-12 year old in cities in China are obese"
   • Abortion & Sterilisation
     • Horror stories: Baby 59
   • Increase in suicide rate
     • 7th in the world for highest suicide rates
   • 'Gendercide'
     • Men outweigh women by 60million in China
   • Growing gap between rural and urban China
     • Rich are able to pay the fines or cheat the system - eg go to hong kong to have baby

3. What did it set out to do in 1979?

   • At the time, China was home to a quarter of the world's people, who were occupying just 7% of world's arable land.
     • 2/3 of the population were under the age of 30 years, and the baby boomers of the 50's-60's were entering their reproductive years
   • The government saw strict population containment as essential to economic reform and to an improvement in living standards
   • The aim was to reduce poverty and to improve overall quality of life for the people.