China One Child Policy

China
Eastern Asia Population of 1.3 billion 20% of the worlds population 1979 government introduced the one child policy Very strict, controlling policy. It is virtually illegal to have more than one child Families were fined for having more than one child Forced abortions

Why was it implemented

Population growth had been actively encouraged from 1949 under the Communist governments industrialisation plan to gain military and economic strength. The population doubled in size from 1950 to 1980 when it reached 1 billion. After wide spread famines during the 1960s, the government realised that if the population continued to grow there would not be enough resources and land sustain the living standards.

The Policy
Promoting delayed marriage and child bearing Promoting fewer and healthier births Promoting one child per couple

Incentives
Allowances to help bring up one child Salary bonus (urban) Bigger land allocation (rural) Extended maternity leave Paid medical and hospital expenses Priority housing

None of these incentives were available to families with 2 children. These couples faced criticism and very heavy fines which would be deducted from their earnings Couples had to get permission to marry and it was illegal to marry before the age of 20 men and 22 women

These are typical adverts that appeared in China

Why have one child? For you with one Child - Free education for your one child - Family allowances, priority housing and pension benefits For those with two children - No free education, no allowances and no benefits, payments of a fine to the state from earnings - Remember: One Child means Happiness
Slogan Later, Longer, Fewer

Consequences of the policy

Positive Population growth has slowed under the policy The average number of children born per Chinese family has plummeted from 5.8 to 2.4 in the space of 20 years Birth rates fell from 33 per 1000 in 1970 to 15 per 1000 in 2002

Consequences of the policy

Negative Female infanticide has caused a population imbalance with more male than female babies being born It has led to families who have 2 children to be discriminated against Forced abortions Given rise to Little Emperors were children become very spoilt and over weight Been less successful away from large cities