China's One-Child Policy DBQ

Imagine having to be told by the government that you were only allowed to have one child because of your ethnicity and then being forced to pay for an additional child if it happened. China fell under Communist control in 1949 with Mao Zedong leading the country. China had just gotten out of a bad war so Chairman Mao believed that the Chinese people should have as many babies as they could; he called this plan the Great Leap Forward. Soon, China was captured in a famine that killed nearly 30 million people, so Mao told the Chinese people to have smaller families. Mao Zedong created the One-Child Policy (OCP) to help prevent large families. It seemed a great idea at the time, but would soon lead to severe social issues, gender issues, and ironically, population issues.

Social issues erupted the moment the One-Child Policy took effect.

Document F examines the lives of 2 children effected by the OCP. They both felt it helped them in the long run, but all of the attention and pressure to do well was on them. This leads to the creation of the “Little Emperors.” This can lead to a poor ability of cooperation in the next generation. The amount of pressure on a single-child to do well can also lead to an increase of depression and suicide among the new generation, which is not the correct way to decrease population. Document B dives into the issue of fertility rates before and after the OCP takes effect. A year before the Policy takes effect China’s fertility rate is 2.7; in 2008 it is 1.7. This change is unnatural and extremely savage. Social issues are only the tip of the iceberg; the One Child Policy also caused a gender gap beyond

belief.
The One-Child Policy created an enormous gender gap. In China, men are seen as a ‘carrier of the family name,’ and therefore carry a stronger preference. They also offer support in old age, as men are more likely to stick around when their parents are older. Men are also seen as the physical workers in the family, which offers an additional farmer to the family, ultimately increasing the wealth of the family. This gap can also spark an increase in crime. With fewer women it will be harder for men to find a spouse and it could lead to murders, rape, or even just petty crime. The gender gap also provides an excuse for gender inequality and sexism in the workplace. The gender gap caused many issues that could have been avoided with the One Child Policy, just like the population issues could have been avoided.
The ultimate goal of the One-Child Policy was to decrease population in China. This ultimately failed. The population of China was about 1000 million people in 1980, the year the Policy went into effect. In 2010, 30 years after the inception of the One-Child Policy, the population was about 1400 million people. This is the opposite goal that China had. The prospects of the population significantly dropping will not happen until about 2100, and even then it will be far above the population before the Policy went into effect.
Although the One-Child Policy may have had its benefits, such as a stronger educational and economical achievement and more focused youth, it still caused many issues. The Policy had a major impact on social issues, widened the gender gap, and did not lower the population. All in all, the One-Child Policy was a failure as there were many issues that sprung up and ultimately caused China to deteriorate.