social and economic change benefitting china

Question 1

benefits from social change

Answer 1

• in 1949 China had a literacy rate of 20% but in 2013 it was 99%, China also ranks first in the world for maths and science teaching
• reduction in infant mortality rates, from 29% in 2002 to 12% 2012
• access to private health care for those who can afford it

Question 2

limitations of social change

Answer 2

• access to school is limited for migrant children, only 10% of children in urban areas attend high school
• China has 61 million left behind children due to parents leaving home to work in industrial areas, 75% of parents only visited home once a year
• one third of city dwellers are overweight due to increase in American fast food chains and people choosing cars over bikes
• 16 out of the worlds 20 most polluted cities are in China
• respiratory and heart diseases linked to pollution are the main cause of death

Question 3

benefits of economic change

Answer 3

• 500 million people have been lifted out of poverty
• poverty has fallen from 85% to 15% in 30 years
• government has improved access to health care in rural areas spending just under $400 billion to achieve this
• increases to NMW
• China’s market economy is growing by 10% per year, currently 2nd largest

Question 4

limitations of economic change

Answer 4

• Gini coefficient at 0.47 one of the worst in the world

- 13% of population live on less than $1.25 a day, while there are 800 billionaires in the country (2018)