Population Control in China

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Population Control in China “Vigilantes abduct pregnant women on the streets and haul them off, sometimes handcuffed or trussed, to abortion clinics. [Some] aborted babies cry when they are born (Steven Mosher).” This quotation shows one method how China tries to carry through its population control in a manner which is very cruel and against human rights. We, Western people, do not understand why China needs a population control and why this control has to be carried out so harshly. But why had China to control its population? From 1949 on, Mao Zedong feared war with the United States or the Soviet Union. “China’s millions [of people] were the country’s primary weapon against technologically superior enemies.” The Chinese population grew explosively, with a growth rate of more than 2% per year until 1970. Deng Xiaoping saw the problem in the population explosion and invented the one-child family in 1979. 1981 the one-child policy was introduced nationwide. This policy was effective in the cities, but in the rural areas the goal of minimizing population growth was unsuccessful. But why did the one-child policy work in cities and not in rural areas? The problem in China is the desire for having a male descendant. Every Chinese family wants to have one boy to continue their family name. In rural families the desire for sons is even higher because boys have more workforce than girls, and rural families needed the workforce for maintaining their farms. Because of the urge to have a son, many baby girls were killed or given to orphanages after they were born. In the mid 80s infanticide of girls was so high that the government loosened its one-child policy a little bit for rural families. According to the new policy, rural famili... ... middle of paper ... ...ingly to the Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji (1999), “China will continue to enforce its effective family planning policy in the new century in order to create a favorable environment for further development.” The one-child policy will probably be carried out until 2050. Bibliography: Xiaokang, Su; Xue, Yuan. “The humanitarian and technical dilemmas of population control in China.” Journal of International Affairs, Winter 96 http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/pages/easc/curriculum/china/1995/geography/lessoon6/rl.htm http://www.pop.org/china http://www.geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa092799.htm?once=true& http://www.hhs.se/EIJS/anomaly/COneKid.htm Graham, Hutchings. Modern China; A Guide to a Century of Change. Cambridge: Harvard University Press,2001 Robert E., Gamer. Understanding Contemporary China. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner, 1999

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