Why was China's one child policy such a disaster?

        My first point is that China’s one child policy was not a disaster. Its aim was to lower the national increase of the population and eventually the population itself to around 700 million eventually (what is considered to be the optimum carrying capacity of China), and is doing so. However, this policy has had some disastrous effects. Also, the question says ‘Why was…” It is worth noting that China is still operating the one child policy.

        In China, it is considered better to have a boy than a girl in many respects. For example, if you are farmers and you have a son, then he will help you out as he grows up, and when you are too old, he will look after you. If he marries, it will be your family getting money from the bride’s. But if you had a daughter, she would grow up, you would be paying the groom’s family when she gets married and then she has left you forever, and she will not look after you when you are too old. In addition, if you can only have one child, then it is obvious which one you want. This particular problem has caused many others. Every year hundreds of thousands of babies are abandoned: the majority are girls. Many of these babies die. There is a huge sex imbalance in China, and if so many babies are continually ‘dumped’, the imbalance will increase. Moreover, these abandoned babies have to go somewhere. Many go to state orphanages. However, the problem with these is that they are poorly managed both economically and physically. China is so shocked and overcome by the baby crisis, it is shown in many of the state orphanages ie where they leave babies to die, they tie them to a chair for days on end etc. However, the parents who abandon these children have no real other options. Of course, none of them want to, but they have to because of the strict laws put into place (even though they are meant to be for the long term good of the people). China is breaking countless human right laws with its one child draconian policy, and is causing a lot of damage both to its people and in a way to itself (eg state funding for the orphanages), but there is no doubt that it is achieving its fundamental goal: to lower China’s population growth, and eventually its population itself.

        Yet, the one child policy has succeeded in many ways as well. By having one child, they get free education, benefits, pensions to the parents and priority housing. In rural areas, the one child policy is more relaxed, so people can have more than one child, as long as there is a gap of a few years between each one. This means that farming families can have the children they want/need to help them on their farms.

        In conclusion, the one child policy is succeeding in lowering the population of China. It is not a disaster in itself, but is having some disastrous side effects, namely the increasing imbalance between the male and female population due to the Chinese social attitude, the fact that girls are abandoned because of the policy and their attitude, and that China is finding it quite difficult to cope with these abandoned children.