Chinas One Child

Policy
Tasha Mapenzi and Genesis Contreras
 HISTORY OF THE
POLICY
A populous China is a
prosperous China.
- Mao Zedon (1893-1976)

In the year 1970, the government

of China asked the citizens to
marry at a later age and have at
most two children even though it
was not mandated by the law.

Before the one child policy,

Chinas population was
approximately 956.2 million.

Between 1949-1976 the

population on China doubled up
from 540 million to 940 million.
 The policy was introduced by
president Deng Xiapong in
the year 1979 and it was fully
implemented in the year
1980.

the policy encouraged

couples to give birth to one
child at most.

this policy was however for

coupled living in the densely
populated urban areas as
couples in the rural areas
were not subjected to this
rule.

1/3 of the Chinas population

IMMEDIATE EFFECTS
After its introduction in the
1980s, the countrys one
child policy has reduced the
youthful population
drastically.
Before its
implementation, the
base of Chinas
population pyramid
was very long, longer
than that of most
countries, meaning
that it had one of the
largest youthful
populations in the
world.
After just one year,
the change can be
seen clearly in the
population pyramid
as the population
between the ages of
0-4 years became
ADVANTAGES OF A SMALLER
YOUTHFUL POPULATION
The Chinese government was the main benefiter
of the policy, as they were able to reduce the
money they spend on schooling.
Crime rates declined as well.
SOCIAL EFFECTS
While the government benefited from the drop in youthful
population, Chinas urban population underwent major struggle.
The government sanctioned family planning was at times
enforced in unpleasant ways, like forced abortions, and
sometimes even sterilization of women.
Families who had two children were sometimes allowed to keep
the child by paying a fee to the government. The Chinese
government made a lot of profit from these payments.
Families too poor to pay the fees for their second child would at
times keep them in hiding; because these childrens identities
were hidden from the government, they found it very difficult to
get proper treatment, education, and later, jobs.
Some families abandoned their child, gave them to orphanages,
or gave them up for adoption to families in the United States.
DISADVANTAGES OF A SMALL
YOUTHFUL POPULATION
Many elderly Chinese citizens had a hard time
retiring after the policy was introduced, as they
had expected their children to support them in old
age. If a couples child died, theyd be left with no
one to care for them in old age, and for some,
their single child didnt have the financial means
to support their ageing parents on their own.
LONG TERM EFFECTS
Chinas fertility rate reached nearly 6 (5.85) children
per woman from 1965-1970
The fertility rate from 2010-2015 was nearly 2 (1.55)
children per woman
The policy was adjusted in early 2016, so that families
can now have up to 2 children
REFERENCES

http://www.indexmundi.com/china/age_structure.html
http://
viableopposition.blogspot.com/2010/12/chinas-demogr
aphy-brewing-storm.html
http://www.chinability.com/Population.htm
http://
www.china-profile.com/data/fig_WPP2010_TFR_1.htm