Sociology Essay: Analyzing the Effects of China's One-Child Policy

This essay delves into China's one-child policy, examining its inception in the late 1970s and early 1980s, driven by concerns over rapid population growth. The policy's implementation and its impact on urban and rural populations are analyzed, including the use of IUDs, sterilization, and abortion to enforce birth control. The essay explores the policy's effects on family structures, gender imbalances, and the aging population. It also discusses the shift to a two-child policy in 2015 and its implications, addressing the policy's advantages and disadvantages, including its impact on social and economic aspects, such as women's equality, sex ratios at birth, and the well-being of children. The essay concludes by highlighting the complex and multifaceted consequences of the one-child policy on Chinese society.

Running Head: SOCIOLOGY 0
POLICY OF ONE-CHILD IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA

SOCIOLOGY 1
In this essay, one-child policy followed by the people of China will be discussed
along with the relevant examples and effects within such a changing scenario in the
contemporary period. Such policy adopted by China while considering various facts and
ideologies of several people will be emphasized. Through this essay, the aim is to evaluate
different changing perspectives in relation with this policy which is prevailing amongst the
existing population in China.
The Central Government of China officially introduced the concept of policy of one-
child in the late 1970s and the early 1980s (Kennedy & Chen, 2018). The object behind such
policy was to control a large number of family entities to having only one child each in the
country. The logical basis for executing the policy was to limit the rate of growth within the
tremendous population of China (Huang & Zhang, 2019). This was proposed to reduce the
problems relating to social, environmental and economic that is connected with the country.
The People’s Republic of China is considered the world’s large-scale country which consists
of 21 per-cent of the overall population (Garrett, 2019). Almost after three decades, it
emerged with two plans such as radical Maoist Communism and progressively mandating
upon the family planning. Then, in the year 1978 China originated with its distinctive one-
child policy along with market-oriented economic reform era.
These two essential plans have occurred to be conflicting with each other. It is where
one is losing the initial particular government because of its power which is influencing on
the lives of the people, whereas the policy relating to one-child is the most crucial parts of
marriage and family life. The political leaders and the best-educated persons supported both
the strategies of economic reform and one-child policy which was invented by the
government of China (Juan, Wen, W., Sufang, & Carine, 2018). They believe that such kind
of plans will help in achieving the targets of per capita livelihood in China.

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In the year of 1949, the creation of policy of one-child was restrained considering
both aspects of qualitative and quantitative associated with the human population. China also
introduced a two-child limit, where the team of researchers composed the estimation
regarding the entire population. It has been analyzed that if in every family there would be an
exact ratio of not having more than two children then the population will result in the rapid
increase for decades (Sun, Liu, He, & Chen, 2018). So, this finally created a disturbance
amongst the political leaders of China who had planned immediately to stop the overgrowing
population. However, an initiative was declared favouring the one-child policy for all the
rural and the urban couples but excluding the non-Han Chinese minority groups.
The Policy of one-child was executed in 1979 and was greatly imposed in urban and
rural areas. The policy stated that after having a child, a woman is supposed to have an IUD
(intrauterine device) inserted. But for instance, if a couple already had two children, the
woman or sometimes the man was to be sterilized (Quach, Epstein, Riley, & Fang, 2013).
Further, any pregnancy that did not have initial official approval was meant to be terminated.
Birth control operations showed a sharp rise in sterilizations, abortions and IUD insertions
during the early 1980s (Li & Wong, 2019).
The establishment of the policy of one-child has led to the discouragement for the
birth rate which was beyond the agreed number. It can result into serious fines, spoliation of
the family homes or ownership, the harassment in terms of political and physical, loss of
employment or affecting the work penalties which can differ from place to place. They have
also formulated various official adoption techniques to control the long-term birth proportion
(Yan, 2016). The encouragement towards the one-child policy was always backed by couples
who were of the same opinion to stop childbearing after having one child and signed a one-
child agreement. Regular payments are made to the couples for the single child’s well-being,
healthcare, childcare and education, recruiting favourable job opportunities for parent and

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child, and political appraisal. Implementation of birth restriction in China is strongly
concealed by penalties. In viewing the early twenty-first century the one-child policy
prevailed and stayed till the existence. In accordance with March 2000, the People Republic
of China issued an official recorded instructing that there will no variations in controlling of
the fertility, targets referring to a general population and the method of implementation (Tsui
& Rich, 2002). The National People’s Congress proceeded with a law on the planning of
birth and population after much of postponement in December 2001.
When at the set of time of adopting the policy of one-child in the year 1978, until the
mid-1960s the urban population had been living on the basis of two-child policy. All the
relevant conditions of the urban like overcrowding, the autonomy of women motivated
voluntary low fertility. It is seen that the rural couples are more dependent on their children
for the old-age support as compared to urban couples (Veeck, Flurry, & Jiang, 2010). Thus,
the one-child policy was successfully performed throughout urban China.
The rural population has uniformly opposed the one-child policy as there is no means
of social subsistence for their families for rural people to proxy for the support for their
children, importantly their sons, when they reach adulthood. As evident, fondness for male
heirs remains strong. One child policy was reformed for the rural population around 1984 due
to peasant resistance (Deutsch, 2006). In more than half of the provinces, couples were
permitted to have a second child, provided the firstborn child is a girl but were expected to
stick to the policy if the firstborn is a boy. However, all the couples in some five provinces
were authorized to have two children.
It has been interpreted that the policy of one-child in China has diminished the
fertility level in respect to both the areas of rural and urban. This has further affected upon the
reduction of the total population of China’s growth and also has raised the per capita income.

SOCIOLOGY 4
It has caused the low fertility which in turn has diminished the number of pregnancies along
with the practicing of low births per every woman and as a result of this will decline the
maternal mortality rates in the country (Hsuan, 2012). By initiating the policy of one-child
program the outcome of family structure has highly changed and influenced the perception on
valuing each and every single child because of the quantity of children per couple has
depreciated.
This has too helped to identify the number of daughters out of the sons in cities
because most of the times the only existing single child is said to be a girl with the help
assistance of the policy of one-child. Moreover, the policy of one-child and its alteration have
worsened the life-threatening unfairness amongst the female infants with showing the
complications of selecting of the sex and increased the abortion towards the female foetuses.
In the end, the strong shrinkage in the fertility has misrepresented the age structure of China
which has left with the outcome of rapid and extreme aging in the population (Yu, Yu, &
Mansfield, 1990). Therefore, the policy of one-child in China has relatively impacted and
disturbed the quality life of the individuals.
It has been declared regarding the substitution of the popular policy of one-child with
the world-wide policy of two-child in China in relevance to the year of 2015, October. Such a
consequential change took place for the very initial time in the period of 36 years where the
restriction on having a single child was enforced. This was observed by the Chinese
Government regarding necessary elements of lifting China out of poverty that was
unfavourable since the decades of mismanagement in economics (Hong, 1987). The
population has expanded from 540 million to exceeding around 800 million in between the
year of 1950 and 1970. The government in the 1970s developed the voluntary longer fewer
policies, motivated the later childbearing, gap between the children, and fewer children.

SOCIOLOGY 5
This is one of the most arguable policies which have been notified in the history
persisting to both the negative and positive effects relating to the one-child policy. The
declaration has asserted the highest number of preventing the birth rates giving effect to the
later-longer-fewer policy which intend to obstruct the birth rates near about 200 million. The
policy of one-child has affected the health outcomes of many individuals that have become a
controversial issue. It has also benefitted the women in relation to fewer pregnancies and the
birth rates that have positively impacted in the decline of the maternal mortality ratio as
observed since the past three decades (Yang, Ollendick, Dong, & Xia, 2016). However, this
favourable condition has been the benefit of the cost relating to the impoverishment in the
reproductive choice not just within the scenario of the family size but has affected the entire
birth control.
The one-child policy has impacted the benefits of social aspects for every woman
such as moving towards equality in all sectors and availing the same rights and opportunities
for every individual. It also led to the preference and investments by the Chinese parents
towards much more in their sons and little in their daughters that creates a difference and
inequality (Golley & Kong, 2018). There has been a variation seen between the brothers and
sisters in the families where the boys are attending school on an average of 6 months more
than compared with that of girls. So, this is now validating a difference of inequality amongst
the boy and a girl child. Women acquired a percentage of 48% of postgraduates and 52% of
undergraduates (Zhao, Hamalainen, & Chen, 2017). More and more opportunities are built
for the betterment of women like they are achieving more career advancements and high
wages for their work and employment. As a change, it is analyzed that most of the Chinese
companies are indulging in hiring a female chief executive officer (CEO).
Another related dispute in terms of the degree contributing to the policy of one-child
that has effectively skewed the sex ratio at birth. This means that the sex ratio at birth is

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determined by the total number of male births for every 100 female births which came into
existence after the undertaking of the policy of one-child. It is expected that by 2020 the
estimation of 30 million men of reproductive age of the country will still experience the
effects of getting married and having babies is expected that will impact more of having a
strong cultural expectation in the preceding future (Scharping, 2018).
The consequences of the policy of one-child has influenced upon the well-being of the
children that have been considerably observed in past years. It has been indicated that the set
of ideas including the parents and the grandparents have pampered their only child while
making the child selfish, not socially active with other children, getting spoiled, etc. But for
example, the studies have explained that the children who perceive higher academic
achievement, higher self-esteem and substantial confidence that will contribute towards
dealing with positive health outcome (Nie, 2016). Then, the factor of the aging population is
increasing globally with the execution of policy one-child rapidly facilitated the process in
China. Possibly, China has distinctive laws where the adult children can assist their elderly
parents in respect to financial support. Thus, the insufficiency of women caused by the one-
child policy is disturbing the elements of quality and quantity in aspect to the care of the
elders in rural places.
According to the overall analysis on the policy of one-child has adversely affected on
the population of China because it has decreased the fertility and the birth rates. Also,
interpreting on the other hand it has eradicated, abandoned the most number of female babies
in the country. This policy has created a violation of the child related policies that has
resulted into more of struggling in the areas of education and searching for work.
While concluding upon the above discussion the one-child policy of China is creating
a war for each and every woman by contravening their personal rights and favouritism

SOCIOLOGY 7
towards the male children. It is affecting the individuals regarding their basic human rights
and freedom. The problem pertaining to the over-population is a serious concern but the
forceful sterilization and abortions have led to the unethical act. The Chinese Government has
introduced the policy one-child to resolve various issues but it has literally resulted in the
more risks of the health, the imbalances in the gender, etc.
It has also revealed that the policy of one-child has distressed the public, economic
and political factors of the country. Moreover, this has negatively affected the Chinese people
and their responsibilities. So, the concept has been a controversial source as it has impacted
upon the education and creating inequalities between the sex ratio. It is considered to be as a
short term measure from the time it was firstly introduced in China. Eventually, the negative
consequences have broadly seen and created worries all over society.

SOCIOLOGY 8
‘
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