China's One Child Policy
Problems
- People were pressured by the Granny Police - Women could be persuaded to have an abortion as late as 7 months - this would be illegal in the UK - Female Infanticide, where girls are aborted, was practised. This is because Chinese society favours sons. This has created a gender imbalance. - Chinese boys became spoilt - they were knick named "little emperors" - Children had no aunts or uncles, no cousins, no brothers or sisters
Benefits
- The forecast famine never happened - An estimate of 300 million fewer people have been born - Controlling population has allowed China to develop and reduced strain on public services such as schools and hospitals - Standards of living have increased
Recent changes
- The policy has been relaxed in recent decades and in the last few years it has been withdrawn in major cities to prevent a shortage of labour. - Young couples can now have 2 children (as of 2015), but government workers must stick to the policy in some areas. - However, the policy will persist because in 2008 China had 1 million more births than deaths every 5 weeks and 600 million people living on less than $2 a day (the UN's measure of poverty).
'Rules'
- They must ask permission from their bosses at work. - They have to be over 24 before they can get married. - If allowed to have a baby the family are issued with a card, which the child cannot be registered without - Some women where sterilised after their first child and incentives were offered such as a 5 to 10% salary rise if the couple stuck to just one child. - However, families were allowed to have a second child, but the family must pay for everything; unlike the first child, where the government pays for everything. - Salaries could be cut, and the second child could not become a Chinese citizen. There were "granny police" who snooped on their neighbours and on people at work, checking the women of child bearing age.
One Child Policy
- Where couples are only allowed to have one child; controls population - China has the world's largest population and a history of very strict controls on that population. - The Communist government of the 1960's had to cope with a massive famine which killed over 30 million people. - This led to 2 important changes; a government led farming policy and also a heavy handed approach to controlling population. China's "one child per family" policy was introduced in the 1970s amid fears of another 1960s style famine and changes to society as it moved from an agricultural to industrial economy.
