What Are The Pros And Cons Of China's One Child Policy

The Relevant Alternatives and the Repercussions of China’s One-Child Policy
When living in a developed agglomeration, the opportunities and privileges available are often taken for granted. Similar cases cannot be said about every country worldwide as developing nations face issues pertaining to economy, famine, poverty, and more. For China, one of the most influential countries today, it once faced – and continues to encounter – the unique issue of overpopulation, and the consequences in attempting to manage the problem. As a result, the Chinese government enacted the controversial “one-child policy” which limited couples to exclusively one child. In doing so, a series of by-products arose – all of which were unexpected, yet preventable. That

Nevertheless, they did not expect an issue larger than overpopulation to surface. The issue of gender imbalance is said to be, “evident and growing everywhere” (NG 2010). The imbalance and the persistent inclination for boys is extremely visible in rural areas as it is thought that there are more than 130 boys for every 100 girls (CD 2017). While this may not seem like an issue, the Chinese government has already started to feel the effects. Realizing the problems with gender imbalance, the government tries to be more proactive to battle the stigma. Some instances of this are the clinics that are set up around China to educate parents about family planning. Additionally, the Chinese government has even gone to the extent of having doctors visit rural villages in order to spread the campaign of gender equality (NG 2010). Not only does the government hope to lessen the effect of the one-child policy, but it also hopes to take down another issue – an aging population. After the large population growth under Chairman Mao in the 1950s and 1960s, and the population limitation enacted for thirty years after, the future of China’s economy is at risk. It is estimated that when the entire generation of the 50s and 60s enters retirement era, the government’s largest concern will become the pressure that will be placed on the pension system (AJ 2015). It has also been considered by the government that there would have been possible labor shortages across all fields of work in the case the one-child policy was to continue. That said, the government ended the policy with fear of the aging population and the dangerous implications of the future it insinuates (AJ