Analyse the failures of the One Child Policy in China.

Under the policy, each couple that lives in a city should only have one child. Penalties for having more children have included fines totalling ten years’ wages, loss of employment and a denial of the second child’s education and medical services. Also older people were employed to spy on younger generations to make sure they were going along with the rules of the One Child Policy, they were known as the “Granny Police”. In more rural areas the policy remained as advice and guidance to the people; in other areas the policy was strictly enforced by local authorities.

 The One Child Policy didn’t all go to plan with China’s population. Already there is a sign of an ageing population which will mean the government will have to put more money into healthcare and pensions with fewer youngsters around to carry out the work. By the year 2025, the percentage of over 65s in China could reach 30% and instead of the traditional method of children caring for their elders, China’s elderly will have to be put into social retirement care as there won’t be enough youngsters to support them. Another disadvantage is that women have always been considered the lower sex in China, despite the Chinese Government trying to change it. Because of this couples who have a baby girl sometimes kill or abandon their child, so they can try again for a boy. Because of the large number of infanticide and abandoned girls China now has an unbalanced population, with a lot more boys than girls. This results in a high number of girls going into prostitution. As well many couples in China have their son's kidnapped and given to much richer couples and some sell their daughters to couples willing to look after them. However The One Child Policy has brought the birth rate in China down. In 1970 the birth rate was 33.43 per thousand, and in 1990 the birth rate dropped to 21.06 per thousand people. Plus the average number of children per woman in 1970, in China was 5.01, and in 1990 the number of children per woman has dropped to 2.31 children.

Overall, China’s One Child policy has ultimately done what it set out to do. However, it cannot be hailed a success as there have also been some serious consequences including a rise in prostitution, a lack of fertile women within the middle age group, a rise in the number of unregistered children and a host of other problems. There is a vast shortage in females compared to males and this has made China and even more male dominated country than it already was. China may have began to control its population, but hasn’t it really solved the problem of bring the country up to date and created a better standard of living for its people.