               
One Child Policy
Too many in the family With a population of 1.2 billion, one of the most serious social and economic problems still facing China is its huge population growth. Every year, China's population grows by 14 million people—three-quarters of Australia's entire population! Up until the 1970s the Chinese government regarded a growing population as a benefit in bringing about swift economic development. By 1963, the average number of children born to a Chinese woman was 7.5. In recent decades, China's government has viewed population growth differently. With one-fifth of the world's population, but only 7 per cent of the world's arable land, continuing strong population growth would bring about great hardships, extreme poverty and famine. The Chinese government decided in the 1970s to control population growth. This has proved a very complex task. The main strategy the government introduced in 1982 was a radical family planning program to encourage couples to restrict their family size to just one child. This has become known as the 'One Child Policy'. It is absolutely imperative that we all support the One Child Policy in our country. If we don't, our people will go hungry. Do you think we want our people to be a burden to the rest of the world? It is our duty to have only one child. I thank you if you can understand this. Since 1982, detailed annual population plans have been drawn up for all provinces and cities. Birth targets or quotas have been set and controlled and all pregnancies are supposed to be planned and authorised. In February 1995, the government announced a new campaign to reinforce the policy to hold the country's population to 1.3 billion up to the year 2000. Later that same year, the government decided that the population should be held at 1.4 billion by the year 2010. Because the One Child Policy is implemented and monitored by local and provincial authorities, it has been applied differently across the nation. For example, there has been stricter enforcement of the policy in urban areas than in rural areas. The policy is attempting a huge shift in the values of most Chinese people. Government campaigns are still achieving only limited success.
Policy incentives
Disobeying the policy
Exceptions to the rule
I think it is important that we learn to appreciate how fortunate we are to live in a world where every life is precious. This is not a luxury that all in the world can afford. I have read about famines in China as recently as the 1970s when families had to decide which children had to starve to death so that the others could survive. I am thankful we have not been forced to face decisions like these. Extracted from: Gilligan, B 1998 Voices and Values: Citizenship in Asia, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton, Vic, pp 29-30.
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