Since the regulations were introduced in 1979, China has kept its population in check using persuasion, coercion and encouragement.And it looks likely that, nearly 30 years after the policy was first introduced, it will not be relaxed to allow couples to have more children.
Many Chinese and foreign academics believe this is a mistake and will result in a number of serious demographic problems in the future.
The Chinese leadership has denied suggestions that it is about to alter its controversial one-child policy.
Family planning chief Zhang Weiqing said there would be no change in the rule limiting families in cities to one child and those in rural areas to two.
His comments come a week after another family planning official said a policy change was under discussion.
Zhao Baige, the vice-minister at the National Population and Family Planning Commission, told reporters she wanted an "incremental" change in the policy, although she said some form of population control would remain in place.
The rule has been blamed for creating a gender imbalance, with families eager to have boys rather than a girls.
From time to time China has considered changes to its one-child policy but has always backed off, fearing a massive spike in population growth.
Strict family-planning controls were introduced during the 1970s to combat China's soaring population.
The BBC reports on the family planning chief's comments here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7281023.stm
There is also the first of a series of pieces on China's one-child policy, inwhich the BBC's Michael Bristow looks at whether the country's controversial regulations are working.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7000931.stm
And then back to the future, we go back to 1995 to the NY Times reporting of the criticisms then First Lady Hillary Clinton leveled against the Chinese government on women's issues:
"It is time for us to say here in Beijing, and the world to hear, that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights," Mrs. Clinton told the Fourth World Conference on Women assembled here (9/6/1995).
The article continues....
While her comments concerned abuses that have taken place around the world -- the burning of brides occurs in India for example, and rape has most recently been a tactic of war in Bosnia -- her words took on a special resonance here in China, where the Administration has muted its public criticism of human rights abuses and is struggling to patch up frayed political relations.
China has been widely criticized for forcing women to be sterilized or have abortions as part of its policy of one child per family, and there are wide reports of female infanticide by parents who want a son.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEFDF133DF935A3575AC0A963958260
A couple of questions to consider here: 1) Is China's One-Child Rule a human rights violation; and 2) Campaigning now to be President, will Hillary chastize the Chinese policy that will continue until the end of the current 5-year plan in 2010, or will she be more muted as her husband's administration had been?
6 comments:
While I understand the need for population control in China, I believe that this "one-child policy" is taking things too far. Not only is the government trying to control what people do with their own bodies, but they are creating a belief that females are less worthy than males. As a "feminist," I have a huge problem with that belief as well as the fact that many women are being mistreated under this policy and I don't know why anyone hasn't done anything to stop this. I'm glad that Hillary has taken a stand on this issue in the past, but at the same time, I know that it would not be wise for her to take any actions against this, even if she does become president.
I completely agree with Kacy. China has lots of open space, even discounting the Gobi Desert. If you have a population problem, encourage people to move to a more rural area. We could do the same here. There would still be more than enough land for agriculture.
The problem in places like China and India isn't about open places in the countryside but its the population density in cities. Cities like Shanghai in China and Mumbai in India have some of the highest population densities in the world. Government officials are trying to reduce these numbers in cities as much as possible and thats why we see these one child laws.
As for the one child policy in China, I think it will hurt the Chinese economy in the longrun because the average age of the population will get older and older. Therefore, the amount of people that can work will slowly fall because they are not being replaced quickly by the next generation.
The treatment of women in China has always been a problem. Many of these politicians have pressured the Chinese government to stop abusing women's rights but it has not worked. With the Chinese government getting more powerful as its economy improves, I don't think this problem will be solved anytime soon even if Hilary is president.
My biggest problem with the policy is the fact that it leaves so many abandoned and murdered children in its wake. It's not just about the parents' rights - what about the children?
People who believe in stereotypes think that “only children” are spoiled, selfish, aggressive, bossy, bratty, and maladjusted. They may also be fearful that an entire country like China that someday will have an entire adult population will be aggressive towards its neighbors. Thankfully research in the last 30 years has shown that the difference between “only children” and other children that have siblings is that “only children” score higher in achievement motivation and have better verbal ability. So much for stereotypes.
I don’t agree with the Chinese Governments policies on family limitations, but I understand the need, because what do you do when there are 2 billion people in your country starving to death?
I am not saying that the children don't matter, Vivi, I just believe that we need to first help the parents so that their children can be brought up with a more positive outlook towards women. If we don't start with the parents, the children will continue being abused and being taught that women are less worthy than men. Once we get the parents the help they need, then we can help the children.
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