Population Growth Flashcards
When and why was the one child policy enforced
In 1970 , the Chinese government issued a number of policies to try and reduce the birth rate . They encouraged mate marriage , 4 year gap between the birth of children and no more than 2/3 children per household . By 1979 the government tightened their control and and limited all households to one child. China’s population was growing rapidly at a rate that could not be sustained. The average women had 6 children and China had become home to a quarter of the world population . The government believed overcrowding was the key reason of their stagnant economy
How has the one child policy been successful
400milluon births have been prevented and the birth rate has plummeted from 6 children / women 1970to 1.66 2012. And the population target of 1.2 billion by 2000 was almost reached with a population of 1.27 billion in 2000
What negative consequences have occurred in regard to the economy
Shrinking population of working aged adults. As the rest ages there will be fewer and fewer people of working age to support the elderly and the workforce will shrink . By 2050 more than a quarter of the population will be over 65. This will slow down the economy as the amount of workers will decrease and the ratio between taxpayers ad pensioners will continue to drop. Lack of workers to fill gaps in the job market
What is China’s population imbalance
Due to a traditional preference for boys large number of female babies end up homeless or in orphanages and even killed . In 2000 it was reported over 90% of the foetus aborted on China are female . This results in an unequal ratio of men to women . In China today men outnumber women by an estimated 60 million. Meaning men have difficulty finding a wife and are likely to end up alone and unsupported when they are elderly as they have no wife and children . The one child policy continually worsened the population imbalance
How is the one child policy enforced
Authorities use granny police to inform them of any pregnancies , thy also use a set of government imposed rewards such as : higher wages , interest free loans , retirement funds , priority housing and acess to education for all plus childcare and healthcare for families which follow this rule. They also use a series of penalties for those who have more than one child such as heavy fines from $370-12,800 . Most families cannot afford this and would be in constant debt. Also they confiscate belongings and fire you from work are other penalties. They also pressure you to abort pregnancies. In 2009 more than 35,000 forced abortions were performed in China . Many people claimed women who already had a child had forced sterilisation
How is the one child policy a breach of human rights
Been critiqued saying its a breach of women’s reproductive rights. Government should have no control over how many children families choose to have. Implementation of policy is cruel e.g forced sterilisation a alleged accusations of government officials confiscating children and putting them up for adoption
When was the one child policy relaxed
1st January 2016 the policy was relaxed. Couples are now allowed to have 2 children to improve the balanced development of population and to deal with an ageing population. Over the time demographers and sociologists have raised concerns about rising social costs and falling worker numbers .despite the relaxation of the policy many couples will still choose to have 1 child as it has become the social norm
Why do Lics have such high populations
People see children as a financial assets so high birth rates but medical advances , improvements in public hygiene and sanitation , clean water have caused a sudden drop in the death rate
What is the problem with rapid population growth like in the Lics
It often takes place in overcrowded countries , the number of people exceeds the resources needed to or use an adequate supply of food water and shelter for everyone
What does overpopulation put pressure on
Housing - acute shortages mean homelessness and squatting as well as poor quality and temporary dwellings.
Jobs- too few jobs means there is unemployment creating poor quality of life and poverty
Social services - many have no acess to education or healthcare
Infrastructure - dwelling lack clean water and proper sanitation. Roads and transport are poor
What is the poverty cycle
Unemployment / low wages - poor housing - lack of schooling , poor facilities - lack of skills - unemployment or low wages
How does povert affect the birth rate
It does not stop couple from having large families which in turn makes the poverty worse. The best way of curbing birth rates is to ensure all chideren have acess to education and encourage them to Have small families and only later . Education also improves chances of finding a job and earning the money needed to break out of the poverty cycle
How does population grow
Births + immigration increases population
Death +emigration decreases population
