Chinas One-Child Policy

China's One-Child Policy

In our society, the United States, children are seen potentially as the as the future. Whether they are male or female, they have the power to be something when they grow up. But if their life is cut short, the opportunity to do so is taken away. In 1976, China implemented what is known as the "One-Child Policy" in order to try and solve their problem of overpopulation (McDonald, 1996). Although the policy may seem as though it is a good idea in solving the problem, the consequences of this policy has lead to female infanticide.

Throughout centuries, China has been battling with overpopulation, one of the biggest issues that the nation has been faced with, forcing the government to enforce the one-child policy. The desire to control the rapidly growing population dates back to the Mao Zedong era where the population number was at a ripe 602 million people (Stycos, 1989). He believed that with every mouth comes "two hands". What he did not realize at the time was that too many mouths bring hardship, poverty, and paucity of food supplies. In 1979, the Chinese government decided to enforce a policy that would help minimize the growth of their population (McDonald, 1996). The one-child policy was what they thought would solve the problem. Married couples would have to sign an agreement known as the one-child certificate. This certificate served as a contract between the couple and the Chinese Government stating that the couples and the one child that they have will be granted economic and educational advantages in return for promising not to have more than one child (Audubon, 1994). Since each couple is allowed one child, the gender of that child determines whether or not it stays in China as part of the family.

Since the beginning of time, females were always seen as being inferior to males in any society. The females’ ultimate duties were to have and take of the children, the household duties and be the servant to their husband while the males worked and took care of the family in terms of financial status. In China, the males are the ones that the majority of the couples chose because they are the ones who not only carry on the family name, but also are most likely the ones who are able to provide support for their parents...

... middle of paper ...

...hild per family has had a good effect on the population although the means of following the policy is unimaginable behavior. The values that they have in their culture differ so much from the United States. Such behavior would lead to harsh punishment. There has not been a policy that controls the amount of children we have yet, but too many people in the United States may ultimately lead to such a policy.

Choe, M. K. and Hao Hongsheng. (1995). Effects of Gender, Birth Order, and Other Correlates on Childhood Mortality in China. Social Biology, 42, (1-2), 50.

Li, L. and Minja Kim Choe. (1997). A Mixture Model for Duration Data, Analysis of Second Births in China. Demography, 34, 2, 189.

McDonald, M. (1996). Dealing with the Complicated Truth. Nieman Reports, 150, 4, 97.

Stycos, J. M. (1989). Demography as an Interdiscipline. New Brunswick, USA: Transaction Publishers.

Woods, B. (1995). The Dying Rooms Trust (Online). Available: http://www.dmcl.com/dying-rooms.

(1994). Missing Female Children. Audubon, 96 (4), 56.

(1996). The Dying Rooms. Geographical Magazine, 68 (10), 9.

(1997). Children’s Health Improved. Beijing Review, 40 (30), 32.