blog post 18

1) The One Child Policy- official program initiated in the late 1970s and early ’80s by the central government of China, the purpose of which was to limit the great majority of family units in the country to one child each. The rationale for implementing the policy was to reduce the growth rate of China’s enormous population. It was announced in late 2015 that the program was to end in early 2016.

2) Deng Xiaoping created the policy on September 25, 1980.

3) There were some exceptions, for example, twins, triplets, quintuplets, and parents within some ethnic minority groups or those whose firstborn was handicapped were allowed to have more than one child. Methods of enforcement included making contraceptive methods available, offering financial penalties and employment opportunities, imposing sanctions against those who violated the policy, and at times, invoking stronger measures such as forced abortions and sterilizations

4) The one-child policy produced consequences beyond the goal of reducing population growth. Most notably, the country’s overall sex ratio became aimed toward males—roughly between 3 and 4 percent more males than females. Traditionally, male children have been preferred—particularly in rural areas—as sons inherit the family name and property and are responsible for the care of elderly parents. Another consequence of the policy was a growing proportion of elderly people, the result of the concurrent drop in children born and rise in longevity since 1980. That became a concern, as the great majority of senior citizens in China relied on their children for support after they retired, and there were fewer children to support them. A third consequence was instances in which the births of subsequent children after the first went unreported or were hidden from authorities. Those children, most of whom were undocumented, faced hardships in obtaining education and employment. Although the number of such children is not known, estimates have ranged from the hundreds of thousands to several million.


5) I watched it