Analysis of the One Child Policy in China Essay Example
SOSC119 FinalExamination
Assignment
Title:
The One Child Policy: A potential debacle
Word Count: 2778 words
During the 1970's, China’s fertility rate dropped at a striking pace - incomparable to any other nation in the same span of time. By 1980, fertility rates had dropped to just over 2.0[1] and continued to further decrease as the 80’s progressed. This hefty reduction was accredited to the deployment of the One Child Policy - implemented to address the fears of China’s main demographic leaders who feared that post-development, China’s population size would surpass its carrying capacity. Facilitated by the dogma presented by military scientists during the Maoist era - the One Child policy presented a arithmetical and empirical solution to China’s demographic problem whilst discounting the social costs of such a regime[2]. The One Child Policy was strictly implemented from the 1980’s onwards in order to achieve a target population size of 1.2 billion people by the year 2000[3].
The policy was developed primarily by Song Jian, a esteemed strategic weaponeer whose experience as a defense scientist required that the One Child Policy be executed using the same “big push” strategy used in military affairs. This implied a thrust that entailed total leadership commitment and a massive mobilization of the nations resources[4] which ultimately destroyed living standards in the rural areas through forced abortion and abuse of women. The consequences of the One Child Policy were that there would be a significant increase in the dependency rate of the elderly over the next 25-30 years, there would be a large gender imbalance and the Chinese working class would eventually grow old and ‘expire.' It is believed that a more liberal policy may have been more effective in tackling China’s demographic problems. Under the assumption that deriving such a policy in China was a more liberal process, we will evaluate an alternative to the One Child Policy and examine its
Assignment
Title:
The One Child Policy: A potential debacle
Word Count: 2778 words
During the 1970's, China’s fertility rate dropped at a striking pace - incomparable to any other nation in the same span of time. By 1980, fertility rates had dropped to just over 2.0[1] and continued to further decrease as the 80’s progressed. This hefty reduction was accredited to the deployment of the One Child Policy - implemented to address the fears of China’s main demographic leaders who feared that post-development, China’s population size would surpass its carrying capacity. Facilitated by the dogma presented by military scientists during the Maoist era - the One Child policy presented a arithmetical and empirical solution to China’s demographic problem whilst discounting the social costs of such a regime[2]. The One Child Policy was strictly implemented from the 1980’s onwards in order to achieve a target population size of 1.2 billion people by the year 2000[3].
The policy was developed primarily by Song Jian, a esteemed strategic weaponeer whose experience as a defense scientist required that the One Child Policy be executed using the same “big push” strategy used in military affairs. This implied a thrust that entailed total leadership commitment and a massive mobilization of the nations resources[4] which ultimately destroyed living standards in the rural areas through forced abortion and abuse of women. The consequences of the One Child Policy were that there would be a significant increase in the dependency rate of the elderly over the next 25-30 years, there would be a large gender imbalance and the Chinese working class would eventually grow old and ‘expire.' It is believed that a more liberal policy may have been more effective in tackling China’s demographic problems. Under the assumption that deriving such a policy in China was a more liberal process, we will evaluate an alternative to the One Child Policy and examine its