Victoria Peterson
Final Research Paper
One-Child Policy and It’s Effects
Dec. 8th, 2013
Introduction
There have been many changes to Chinese culture during
their long history. Natural and man-made events have changed
their landscapes, traditions have been altered over time, and society as a
whole has changed drastically. Where this is a typical
occurrence for most all countries, China is unique in the alteration of
their family structures and therefore, their society due to the one-child
policy. Perhaps because of this, general behavior, social norms, societal
pressures, and even living environments have changed course and gone in a
direction different than what was experienced not so long ago.
Family and Social Life through the Ages
In ancient China to the early 20th century,
typical families were structured in a way that the extended family members
would all live under the same roof.
Grandparents, their children, and the children after them all lived
together. During this time, sons were
valued more than daughters, because they would carry on the family name and
were capable of making money to support their elders, wives, children,
etc. Not to say daughters were not
valued, they would eventually marry into other families and create ties, but
sons helped to ensure the stability of their family by being able to care for
them financially and ensuring that their name would be carried on through their
children. The family elders were
considered the most important, and were treated with the most respect.
During the mid-1900’s, this structure had taken a turn in a
different direction and, as a result, the Chinese culture had changed
dramatically. When the Chinese Communist
Party started gaining a foothold in society, the old family structure based
upon Confucian teachings was seen less and less. Laws went into effect that gave women more
rights than they had previously, such as the ability to file for divorce and not
having to go through with an arranged marriage.
Women could also work alongside men.
Families were broken apart into smaller units in accordance with Maoist
theory due to differing ideologies. They were also forcibly separated from each other
using various methods, such as sending people under false pretense away from their homes, and not allowing them back upon their return. Families were
further downsized when the One-Child Policy was later introduced.
The drastically
changing politics in China shifted their society into something that, on the
surface, appeared completely different than what was experienced just a hundred
years previously. Families were much
smaller, typically with two parents and one child, and each individual
fulfilled a different role and had different things expected of them. However,
sons were still wanted more than daughters, children were still expected to
care for their parents as they age, and elders were still treated with great respect. Families held to old traditions and rituals
while also adopting new ones. Some of
these values brought negative consequences to the Chinese society as a whole,
specifically putting more stock on male offspring as opposed to female,
especially when families more often than not, have only one child.
One-Child Policy
The Chinese one-child policy (or, the
“family planning policy”) was introduced in 1979 in order to control the
population in China. It was believed
that by stopping the rapid growth of the population, economic, social, and environmental
issues would be solved as well. The
population grew rapidly due to the regime change. When Mao came to power, infant mortality
declined and the life expectancy increased.
Families before this time tried to have more children because many of
them did not live to adulthood. In the
mid-1900’s, families still strove to have many children, not for the survival
of the family, but because of the Maoist belief that the more populous a
country was, the stronger it was. In
1949 the population was 540 million, and in 1976 the population grew to an
astounding 940 million. Issues arose due
to the rapid growth, and in 1970 families were encouraged to have only two
children. Despite this, the population
still grew, which caused for the one child policy to be put into effect in
1979.
Despite being
titled the “one-child” policy, there are some exceptions such as if the family
lives in a rural area and their first born child is either a female or
disabled. Ethnic minorities are also
allowed to have more than one child, as well as if both parents were the only
offspring in their families. If a person
divorces and brings a child from the previous marriage into the new marriage, a
second child is allowed since the offspring would be a half-sibling. If a family breaks the one-child policy, they
would have to pay a fine (increasing drastically for every additional child). The Chinese government has not disclosed how
the payments are spent. If the fine is
not paid, the extra child/children cannot gain a household registration, which
would then limit them severely, to the point of not even being able to go to
school or take advantage of the health care system. If a child does get into a good school,
parents can receive annual payments from the government. If the parents abide by all the rules, they
may receive a monthly stipend, more pension benefits when they age, extra land
allowances, and maybe even a home. There
are loopholes to the one-child policy, however.
One man, Dong Feng, charges people willing to divorce in order to have
additional children. He will then become
a fake husband to the divorced wife, which would allow the “divorced” couple to
have another child without being charged a fee from the Chinese government.
There are
some significant benefits that can be associated with the one-child
policy. A larger portion of the
population is engaged in the workforce, rather than dependent on those in the
workforce. Studies have been done
comparing the amount of working-age to non-working age people and China’s
economic growth when there are more working-age people within the
populace. China has the world’s fastest
growing economy, and since the 1980’s, 1/4th of this growth can be
attributed to the larger workforce due to the one-child policy. The growing
economy comes with a great many benefits as well, such as higher living
standards, a less polluted environment, better nutrition, better education, and
longer life expectancies.
Culture
Changes
Where there are benefits to Chinese
society associated with the one-child policy, there are also unfortunate
consequences. Since most of the
population is a part of the workforce, when they grow old and eventually stop
working, a single child will have to care for two parents and, in the worst
financial case, four grandparents as well.
The tables will eventually turn, and there will be more people dependent
on those working than there are people making an income who can support
them. The Chinese government is aware of
this oncoming situation, and has relaxed the one-child policy slightly so that
now parents who are both single children may have two children instead of
one. This effort may not prevent an
economic downturn, but it may eventually soften the blow if they keep relaxing
on the policy. With this single change,
2 million more births are expected to take place on top of the 15 million
already born each year.
There is also a very uneven ratio of
sons to daughters. Chinese families held
to some traditional values and some would rather have sons over daughters, so
when the sex of the baby is determined through an ultrasound, some mothers
abort their female children in hopes for a male next time. In 2012, 117 males were born for every 100
females. In 2030, it is estimated that 30 million or
possibly more Chinese men will remain bachelors, unable to find wives due to
the uneven ratio of men to women.
Some aspects
of Chinese culture remain the same throughout the centuries, even in these
drastically changing times, some ideals, values, and traditions stay
constant. An example of this that sticks
out the most would be that male children are still valued more than females
(but not to the extent that it was pre-communist government). Many problems stem from this issue, the main
one being an unbalanced male to female ratio.
Because of this, many men are left as bachelors, especially those with
lower-paying jobs. That also comes from
older traditions, where men would marry women who were less economically
powerful because the men were in charge of the households. In contrast, successful women also have a
difficult time attracting a husband due to their success. When thinking about this from an American
cultural standpoint, remaining single does not sound like a huge issue. However, Chinese people depend on offspring
to care for them when they grow old and are unable to work or care for
themselves. There is a lot of pressure
on men to carry on the family line as well as care for their parents. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of
available women, human trafficking and prostitution has begun to make a rise in
Chinese society.
There are
also temporary benefits to this imbalance between the male and female
sexes. Since there are less females, men
try to make sure that they are ideal candidates for marriage, and that means
making money to be able to put a down payment on a home and to support a
family. Studies have shown that this may
have something to do with the growing economy as well. Property values are rising in at least 35
major Chinese cities, and the economy as a whole has greatly improved in the
last 30 years.
Conclusion
The enactment of the Chinese one-child policy has caused many changes from both a large and a small scale. Priorities have changed while searching for a significant other; family life has altered from living in extended family units with multiple children to living with two parents and one child. Expectations on the families have not changed, however, and this allows for a lot of stress to be put on the offspring to be able to care for their aging parents and maybe even families of their own. But there are also a great many benefits to be attributed to this lifestyle change, such as the development of China as a whole, better individual care, and improved living environments. The Chinese people have been through a lot of change in a short amount of time, and have adapted well, while still holding on to many traditional values and beliefs.
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