Did China’s One Child Policy Work As Planned?
Persuasive Writing
(One Child Policy)
Did China's One Child Policy work as planned?
China's One Child Policy was first officially started in the Year 1979. The Policy was adopted to ensure that China, a country that has been prone to severe flooding and famine, would be able to feed its people. The rapid population growth that occurred after the Communist Party came to power had put a strain on the government's efforts to help its people. So in an attempt to combat the widespread poverty and improve the overall quality of life, the one child policy was adopted.
The Chinese Government believes that the One Child Policy might cause the birth rate of the country to come down, which might reduce the total population in the coming years. If more couples were having fewer children, there might not be so many people in the following generation.
However, geographers think that One Child Policy may force the Chinese families to think whether their single child should be male or female.
Although, it is illegal in China, Technology has made it possible to detect the gender of the fetus during pregnancy and this has caused, the abortion of female fetuses before they are born. "By 1990 thousands of ultrasonic machines were being imported for the purpose of sex selection. Domestic factories in China began manufacturing ultrasound machines at the rate of 10,000 machines per year". "Official data on abortions show the annual total number of abortions increased between 1985 and 1990." [http://www.forerunner.com/lci/ X004_Population_Control_ C. html]. These figures clearly indicate that many families wanted to avoid giving birth to a female child.
In the Urban areas, where the people have access to good hospitals and medical facilities, it is easy for women to get an abortion. However, in the rural areas where there are not good medical facilities, female infants are either abandoned or killed after they are born, by their parents. So that, the couples may try to give birth to another child, hopefully a boy.
Since, the One Child Policy is not strictly followed in rural areas many couples give birth to children illegally. They think it is not necessary to inform the government. The government ...
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In the Urban areas, where the people have access to good hospitals and medical facilities, it is easy for women to get an abortion. However, in the rural areas where there are not good medical facilities, female infants are either abandoned or killed after they are born, by their parents. So that, the couples may try to give birth to another child, hopefully a boy.
Since, the One Child Policy is not strictly followed in rural areas many couples give birth to children illegally. They think it is not necessary to inform the government. The government also agrees that in rural areas children are needed to work in the farms and support their parents when they are ill or old. This in the future may cause a huge imbalance in the population between the people living in urban areas compared to the people living in the rural areas.
Chinese families prefer Males instead of Females because "According to the Chinese Tradition daughters must join the families of their husbands after marriage and are seldom able to offer support to their parents in old age" [http://www.forerunner.com/lci/X004_Population_Control_ C.html]. Moreover, "there must be a boy in every family in order to continue the family" [Seth Faison, New York Times, August 17, 1997]. These principles are still being followed in many rural parts of China.
The Chinese Government may think, that the One Child Policy will cause the next generation to be well educated, as parents may devote the entire attention and care to the single child and make him grow up with proper love, care and education. It will also be easier for parents, especially poor people to educate their child very well. This in future may increase the literacy rate in the country, thus helping the country's economy. On the other hand, according to many parents point of view, the single child may get lonely while growing up and there is also a greater probability of he/she getting spoilt by the love of their parents. According to a report by Seth Faison, in New York Times, on August 17, 1997 "Many of them are treated as young prince and princesses. Many of them are self-centered and lack the ability to co-work with each other even though they perform well individually". [Seth Faison, New York Times, August 17, 1997]. I think that, this problem cannot be ignored because; a well-functioning society is a result of group work rather than a number of individual performances.
Parents may expect a lot from their single child and want them to be the best in the society. However, it's impossible that everyone could be the best, especially in a country where there is hard competition. This often causes children to grow under a pressurized environment. This may also not help them concentrate more on their studies and on their outdoor activities. "Experts are concerned that the mental health of the younger generation might decrease". [Seth Faison, New York Times, August 17, 1997]
Some couples also complain, about "Terminating, all unauthorized pregnancies by abortion when detected regardless of stage of pregnancy". [http://www.forerunner.com/ lci/X004 _ Population_Control_C.html]. Children, who are born without acknowledging the Chinese Government, do not exist officially and are not entered in the population register. Hence, they are not able to enjoy all the privileges like other children; for example "the child receives no medical benefits, no grain rations, no opportunity to attend school, and no chance of employment" [http://refugees.org/world/articles/women_rr99_8.htm]. If a couple has a boy and a girl, they tend to educate the boy, as they think there it is not necessary to educate a girl. The Girl is not educated about family planning or anything else. That girl has to spend her entire life suffering problems. Uneducated and illiterate women are one of the main causes of a country's population increase.
All this raises a question, how accurate is China's population statistics? Unreported births represent a small percentage of the overall population growth each year, "but some longtime residents of China are skeptical that anything can be measured accurately". [http://www. Mytholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/chinpop.htm]
To cope with this problem, the Chinese Government thinks mandatory sterilization of couples and a very high fine will somehow decrease the problem a little bit. "In Shanghai, where the penalty for an unauthorized second child is a fine three times the annual salary of the father and mother." [http://www.Mytholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/chinpop.htm]. These high fines may make us think that, Chinese couples may hesitate before giving birth to a second child, but "millions of Chinese who want multiple children are now having them". [http://www.Mytholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ chinpop.htm]
Many parents debate that Mandatory sterilization, does not allow them to give birth to another child if their first child is handicapped or dies in childhood. The couples then have to spend their entire life without having a child.
At last, according to my opinion, I would like to conclude that this policy does not allow women to stand shoulder to shoulder with men in the society. According to an article of Seth Faison in New York Times on August 17, 1997 "Many people, especially people in western countries, consider this policy as a strong violation of human rights". I too share their view, as this policy does not allow, illegal children to have any kind of privilege and makes them suffer problems, till they die. So I think that China should adopt a new policy, which is fair for everyone in the country. The new policy should, also encourage people to give birth to fewer children, without differentiating between male and female. I would also like to say that China faced new problems and challenges by adopting the one child policy. The One Child Policy may not have worked out as the Chinese Government had planned.
Bibliography: -
URL's: -
http://refugees.org/world/articles/women_rr99_8.htm
(September 1999) World Refugee information
http://www.forerunner.com/lci/X004_Population_Control_C.html
(1 January 2002) Media House International
http://www.Mytholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/chinpop.htm
No information found.
SETH FAISON, (August 17, 1997) "Chinese Are Happily breaking the 'One Child' Rule," New York Times.
Vinod
G - 9A
Date: - Monday, January 21, 2002
Subject: - English Persuasive Writing
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