Population case studies👫🌎 Flashcards
Chinas one Child policy:
Which groups were treated as exceptions from the rule and why?
Exact rules and enforcements vary by province and local area, however the main exceptions include:
- Ethnic minorities: around 8% of China’s population are minorities such as Tibetans, Kazakhs. The policy did not apply to them so that the minorities did not die out!
- Rural residents: Local officials in rural areas would typically permit a second child, particularly if the first child was female—> this revision came after massive protests in the early years by farmers who rely on children to help work on the land.
- When both parents are only children.
-Parents who lost a child: A notable exception was made after the 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province in May 2008. Of the nearly 70,000 killed, an estimated 10,000 were children. Parents who lost their only child were legally allowed to have another child.
(Similar exceptions are made in the case of deceased or seriously disabled children).
Chinas one Child policy:
Apart from legally being an exception to the rule, what is another way the policy could be avoided by China’s citizens?
- Wealthy parents can pay a hefty fine to legally register and raise their second or third child.
- Parents may lie, secretly giving birth to multiple children and then sending them to live with relatives in the country or passing them off as nieces or nephews.
Chinas one Child policy:
What were the incentives for people to follow the policy?
- Longer maternity leave
- Interest free loans
Other forms of social assistance and government subsidies such as:
- Better health care
- State housing
- School enrolment
Government employees could receive an extra month salary each year until their child turned 14. Couples who delayed marriage and having their first child were also eligible to similar benefits.
To boost complained, the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China offered free, universally accessible contraceptive.
Chinas one Child policy:
What were the penalties for those who did not follow the policy?
The majority of penalties were financial:
-Large fines
For those unable or unwilling to pay the fines:
- Seizing property
- Dismissal from jobs
- Having kids pulled out from school
Extreme measures (relatively rare recently):
- Forced sterilisation
- Abortions
Chinas one Child policy:
Was it a success?
The law prevented an estimated 400 million births.
The rate of population growth is now 0.7%
While China’s population is now rising more slowly, there is still a very large total population—> 1,387,638,530 on May 26 2017!= highest population of any country in the world.
China’s one child policy:
What are the problems with the policy?
4:2:1!—> one child ends up looking after two parents and 4 grandparents…
‘Little emperor’ syndrome—> The idea that only children become spoilt and get used to having their own way so cannot work as a team in later life
More males than females—> There are now 60 million more men in China than women after decades of gender bias; As families were only allowed one child, most wanted a boy to keep on the family name. Parents who found out they were having a girl frequently aborted as a result- in 2000, it was reported that 90% of foetuses aborted in China were female.
Ageing population
China’s one child policy:
What is the policy NOW?
The policy began to be phased out slowly in 2015. TWO children are now allowed per couple.
Chinas one Child policy:
What is the policy and why, and when was it introduced?
The one child policy was a law introduced in China in 1979 which stated that couples could only have one child. This was an attempt made by the government to control the population of China which was growing at uncontrollable rates. The country had experienced famine and wanted to avoid more MALTHUSIAN disasters in the future.
The high population of China was putting too much pressure on resources, including food, housing, jobs, health services and the economy.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
What is transmigration?
A population policy that aims to move people from densely populated areas to sparsely populated areas and provide them with opportunities to improve their quality of life.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
Why was Indonesia in need of a population managing policy?
Indonesia is rapidly growing.
It is the 4th most populated country in the world.
Growth rate: 1.49% per year
In 1950s and 1960s, islands like Java and Bali were overpopulated.
There were not enough resources for the population.
There were a high proportion of people living in Shanty developments, where disease was common due to a lack of sanitation and there were a lack of job opportunities.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
What was the transmigration policy?
In 1969, the government decided to redistribute the population, moving people from densely populated islands like Java to sparsely populated areas like West Papua, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
When did transmigration occur?
Primarily between 1979 and 1984; 2.5 million people were involved.
1 million people settled in West Papua.
This continued through the 80s but scaled down.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
What were the positive factors?
- There were ECONOMIC gains; people paid the government to move.
- Landless people were given land to farm on- an opportunity to earn money.
- There was less overcrowding in Java, therefore less strain on vital services such as hospitals and medical centres.
- Unemployment reduced in Java- less people claimed from the government.
- The trans-migrants received 2 hectares of land as an incentive.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
What were the negative factors?
-The outer islands contain 10% of the worlds rainforest. Thousands of acres of this was destroyed in areas to provide new homes. The rainforest is home to many endangered species such as orangutans and Sumatran tigers.
The indigenous people were denied their land rights.
Unrest between locals and new people, often ending in violence and hatred.
New migrants lacked the necessary farming skills.
Much of the land given on outer islands had very infertile soil so farming was difficult.
The remoteness of the islands made it difficult for a profit to be made from farming.
Acceleration of deforestation in some parts caused land to become overgrazed and soil fertility reduced.
It cost $7000 per family- the country could not afford this.
Transmigration in Indonesia:
Was it successful?
As a result of the scheme, the population became more dispersed, reducing the population density in Java. However, the policy did not solve the countries population problem so much as shift it.
Many Indonesians objected to the policy because of the environmental damage to valuable plants and ecosystems.
The movement of people was very expensive- a waste of resources? UNSUSTAINABLE- more economic issues resulted.
In some areas, poverty increased, and the migrants lives did not improve or even worsened.
Indigenous people on the islands unwillingly had their lives totally reshaped causing major stress and frequently hostility towards new land owners.
France’s Pro- natalist policy
What was the policy called and when was it introduced?
‘Code de la famille’- 1939
France’s Pro- natalist policy
What was the policy and what did it offer?
A complex piece of pro-natalist legislation.
It offered:
-cash incentives to mothers who stayed at home to look after children -subsidised holidays.
The policy also banned the sale of contraceptives (repealed in 1967).
France’s Pro- natalist policy
What were the results?
- Mothers considered having children and working
- The fertility rate in France is now one of Europe’s highest
What other policies (apart from the ‘Code de la famille’) were enforced to encourage three children families?
- £675 cash incentive per month (nearly minimum wage) for mother to stay off work for a year following birth of 3rd child.
- ‘Carte Familly Nombreuse’- giving reductions on train fares
- Income tax based on more children, less tax have to pay
- 3 years paid parental leave, can be used for both mother and father
- Government subsidised daycare for children under age of 3, also full time school places paid by government
UK’s Ageing Population
What are the causes?
1) people are living longer due to advances in medicine and better standards of living. Between 1980 and 2006, the life expectancy rose
2. 6 years for women and 6.4 years for men.
2) Lots of babies were born in the 1940s and 1960s- they are now retiring and creating a pensioner boom.
3) Since the 1970s the number of babies being born has fallen.
UK’s Ageing Population
Describe some of the strategies used to tackle the ageing population.
Raise the retirement age
This means people will have to work for longer so more people paying tax and less claiming pensions.
—>The U.K. will raise the retirement age to 68 by 2046.
Encourage immigration of young people
This increases the workforce and the number of people paying taxes, which helps to pay the state pension and services.
—>Around 80% of UK immigrants in 2004 were 34 or under.
Encourage women to have children
This makes having children more affordable and in time will increase the working population who pay taxes for pensions and services.
—>The U.K. has working family tax credits
Encourage people to take out private pensions
If people have private pensions they won’t be so dependent on the state pension
—> the government gives tax breaks.
UK’s Ageing Population
What are the economic issues?
TAXES need to INCREASED:
there is a reduced working population who pay taxes and an increased older populated who use the taxes because of pensions and the services they need.
The ECONOMY GROWS MORE SLOWLY:
less money spent on education and business and more on retirement homes
UK’s Ageing Population
What are the social issues?
- Healthcare and services are stretched
- People spend time working as unpaid carers for ageing family members
- People may have fewer children as they are looking after elderly relatives
- People will have to retire later as they won’t be able to live on state pension as it will be lower with more elderly for the government to provide a pension for.
UK’s Ageing Population
What are the problems for the UK?
The government is struggling to pay the state pension- the taxes paid by the small working population are not enough to cover it.
The health service is under pressure as older people need more medical care. The average stay in hospital for over 75 year olds is 13 days whereas for the whole of the UK (all age groups) it is 8 days.
More elderly people are living in poverty- the working population isn’t large enough to pay for a decent pension.
