China's one child policy

China's one child policy

1. why was it needed?

   • in the late 1970's, Chinese government introduced a number of measures to reduce the country's birth rate and slow the population's growth rate
   • in the 1950's Chinese population was growing at a rate of 1.9% each year, poluation increased by approximately 350 million between 1950 and 1975
   • if the government didn't do anything then the countries rate of population growth would become unstable
   • China's disastrous 'great leap forward' led to a famine between 1959 and 1961, claimed the lives of 30 million Chinese people

2. what is the policy

   • enforced by the Chinese government, allowing each family to have only one child
   • if a family were to have a second child they wouldbe fined and wouldnt recieve the benefits they would if they only had one child.
   • established in 1979 by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping
   • if couples obeyed the rules of the policy, they would receive benefits such as access to education, childcare and healthcare

3. social effects

   • there has been an increase in the amount of female infant deaths
   • gender inbalance in china, approximatley 120 males for every 100 females ('bare branches')
   • a large number of female babies have ended up homeless or in orphanages
   • couples tended to favour baby boys to carry on the family name, many baby girls are aborted. In 2000 it was reported that 90% of aborted babies were female.
     • ageing population
   • the second generation of only children have no siblings, no aunts, uncles or cousins
     • by 2030 married couples could find themselves responsible for as many as 12 elderly people, two sets of parents and up to four sets of grandparents.
   • problem of little emperors, spoilt children
   • large fines imposed on couples who have a second child, '
   • granny police
   • china's rate of population growth did decrease, population stabilised
     • policy is said to have prevented approximately 400 million births

4. economic effects

   • less economically active, less money going into the local economy
   • growing dependant population, more money needed to support the elderly
   • couples would pay doctors to tell them the sex of their baby

5. political effects

   • people felt it was an intrusion of their human rights, blamed the government
   • In MEDC's, the government is forced to charge people more taxes to cover growing costs of an elderly population.

6. current situation- changes

   • rural areas- couples allowed to have 2 children to work on farms
   • couples can have two children if they are both from one child families
   • Chinese government have recently announced that they will be relaxing the rules of the policy, allowing couples to have 2 children
     • they have stressed that the regulations of the One child policy will continue to be enforced until the law is changed- government have said it will be changed March 2016