China's One Child Policy

Question 1

Give a timeline as to how the one child Policy was created

Answer 1

1950-1959: Chairman Mao- “A large population gives a strong nation”
1959: Devastating Famine- 20 Million deaths
1960-73: Post Famine population boom- 55milion a year
1974: Wan-Xi-Shao policy: Later, Longer, Fewer
1979: One child policy introduced, population was at 1 billion

Question 2

Positive Impacts of the one child policy

Answer 2

• Prevented 400 million births
• Fertility rate reduced from slightly over 5 to 1.7-1.8, well below the 2.1 needed to keep the population at a stable level
• Less pressure on resources
• If the the population were to half to 700 million, they would have twice the current living standards according to the Chinese government

Question 3

Negative impacts of the One child policy

Answer 3

• Forced (sex selective) abortions + sterilisation
• Increased proportion of older people decreasing the workforce
• Disproportionate number of boys to girls (24 million extra men)
• 4-2-1 effect
• Little emperor syndrome
• If people tried to have a second child without permission, without any money, they would have their house pulled down
• Family fined 4x their annual income for having 2 children
• Reduced to a diet of porridge 3x per day
• 1994- illegal to reveal gender of babies until birth, introduced ‘red packages’- bribes
• 600 million people living on 2 dollars a day

Question 4

What was the name of China’s modal one child policy town and where is it located?

Answer 4

Changzhou: East China, West of Shanghai

Question 5

How is the One child policy enforced through incentives?

Answer 5

• Extra 3 month maternity leave on full pay for a single child
• Free education
• Free healthcare
• Priority for university
• Priority for a job

Question 6

How is the One child policy enforced in factories?

Answer 6

-Workers get paid a bonus for a single child
-Take part in family planning
-Pass a written test
-Must be over the age of 24
-In factories, there are monitors checking for pregnant workers
‘The Card’- official permission to have a child, if you lose it, you can’t get another
If 100% of mothers get glory certificates, they become the modal factory, they all get bonuses

Question 7

What is the purpose of granny police?

Answer 7

Responsible for checking up on many families, giving a family planning message and deliver contraceptives