Qianliang Zhou
ENG2150T
China’s One‑Child Policy
From（https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fchinese%2F2020-03-01%2Fwomen-defied-chinas-one-child-policy-to-give-birth-twice%2F12000146&psig=AOvVaw3Hl5DI_jwEilURzqHEgmt0&ust=1747110958780000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCJjymeKNnY0DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE）
Background
After 1949, the government asked people to have many kids to make the country strong. By the late 1970s China had about 1 billion people. Food, homes, and jobs were not enough. So in 1979 the leaders made a new rule: most families could have only one child.
From（https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fchinese%2F2020-03-01%2Fwomen-defied-chinas-one-child-policy-to-give-birth-twice%2F12000146&psig=AOvVaw3Hl5DI_jwEilURzqHEgmt0&ust=1747110958780000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCJjymeKNnY0DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI）
How the Rule Worked
- Parents had to get a birth permit before having a baby.
- If a second baby came with no permit, the family paid a very big fine.
- In the countryside, if the first child was a girl, a second child was sometimes allowed.
- In the city, almost no second child was allowed.
Results
- Population grew slower, but new problems started:
- Few young workers and many old people.
- Many parents wanted a boy, so some girls were left out or not counted.
- More boys than girls in the country.
- One child had to care for 2 parents and 4 grandparents (the “4‑2‑1 family”).
Rule Changes
- 2015: Families could have two children.
- 2021: Families could have three children.
Why Did the Rule Change?
China is getting old fast. Too few babies are born, so soon there will not be enough workers to pay taxes and look after old people. Letting families have more children hopes to fix this.
Source
A Disaster of Their Own Making: The Demographic Crisis in China. OSW Commentary, 7 Feb 2024.
Article 1
The reason for changing the policy and the report about it.
This report by OSW talks about China’s people numbers. It says China is losing people fast. It tells why fewer babies are born, how this hurts the economy, and what it may mean for China and the rest of the world. In the essay below, I give the main facts and quotes and add a few of my own ideas.
China’s population problem is big and getting worse. The National Bureau of Statistics says the country was “2.08 million smaller than the previous year” at the end of 2023, the second yearly drop in a row. The birth crisis is clear too: the fertility rate “fell below 1.2 … in 2022 it was 1.18,” far below the 2.1 babies per woman needed to keep numbers steady. Some experts say the drop really began in 2018 and “never exceeded 1.3 billion.” People aged 16–59 were most in 2011; now there are about 77 million fewer workers, so the economy slows. I feel sad because young workers must carry a heavier load.The one‑child rule from the early 1980s is a big cause. The OSW paper says critics warned of its “catastrophic consequences,” but leaders still pushed it. Later, under Xi Jinping, the state “withdrew from the ‘one‑child policy’ and started promoting a model of larger families,” but births went up only two years and then dropped again.
Money is also a problem. Raising one child now costs “nearly seven times (6.9) China’s per capita GDP,” more than in the U.S. or Japan. Parents still care for an aging family, homes are costly, and many women fear losing jobs if they have a baby. There are fewer young women too: their number fell over 40 million from 2010 to 2020. Beijing tries many ideas—linking big families to patriotism, making divorce harder, and giving small cash gifts for a second or third baby. But officials say the main problem is “insufficient women of reproductive age,” so even big money cannot stop the fall.
I think these small gifts are too small for such big costs. The effects are big. A smaller, older workforce means slower growth, higher pension bills, and less money to invest. Party writers warn a shrinking population may shorten China’s “window of strategic opportunity,” so leaders may act abroad sooner while the country is still strong.
In short, old birth limits, high child costs, and fast social change put China in a bad circle: fewer babies, fewer workers, more old people. Slogans and small cash gifts are not enough. I worry China will keep shrinking unless having children becomes cheap and safe.
From
A disaster of their own making. The demographic crisis in China
Article 2
Is being an only child harmful to psychological health?
The study “Is Being an Only Child Harmful to Psychological Health?” by Shuxi Zeng, Fan Li, and Peng Ding investigates how China’s one-child policy affects psychological health. The authors used China’s unique policy as a natural experiment to determine if being an only child leads to psychological disadvantages. They specifically applied statistical methods known as instrumental variables, utilizing “the intensity of policy enforcement as an instrumental variable to address confounding factors related to fertility choices and psychological health” (Zeng et al., 2020).
Overall, the study found a modest but statistically significant negative impact of being an only child on self-reported psychological health in specific populations. The negative psychological effects were particularly notable among urban male children. According to Zeng et al. (2020), “urban male only children experienced the most pronounced negative psychological impacts, especially when their families held negative attitudes toward the one-child policy.”
The research further implemented sensitivity analyses to ensure the robustness of their findings and assumptions. “Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of the instrumental variable assumptions,” thus supporting the credibility of their results (Zeng et al., 2020).
In conclusion, although the general psychological impact of being an only child was relatively small, significant negative effects emerged clearly within certain subgroups. The study strongly suggests that policymakers should consider these potential psychological impacts when designing and implementing population control policies. Zeng et al. (2020) highlight the importance of acknowledging the nuanced social and psychological consequences of such policies, noting, “Policymakers need to carefully consider the psychosocial implications of demographic policies to mitigate unintended negative outcomes.”
From
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2005.09130
From
https://attach.setn.com/newsimages/2020/09/25/2791810-PH.jpg
Article 3
The End of China’s One-Child Policy
The article “The End of China’s One-Child Policy,” by Wang Feng, Baochang Gu, and Yong Cai, talks about why China ended its one-child policy. China started allowing couples to have two children on January 1, 2016. Before this, China had a one-child policy for 35 years to control its population growth.
Ending the policy happened in a few steps. First, in March 2013, two government groups combined to form one that managed population policies. In November 2013, the government allowed couples to have two children if one parent was an only child. Finally, in October 2015, China said all couples could have two children starting in 2016. They also removed the need for couples to get permission from the government before having children.
China ended this policy because of several important reasons. One main reason was problems with its population, such as fewer babies being born, an aging population, and fewer workers. Wang, Gu, and Cai (2016) said, “By the early 2000s, birth rates had dropped very low, causing worries about future economic and social problems.” The economy was another reason. The one-child policy was meant to help economic growth, but China’s economy grew mostly because of economic reforms, not because of controlling births.
Also, experts pushed the government to change the policy. Since 2001, many scholars in China asked the government to stop or relax the one-child policy because it caused many issues (Wang, Gu, & Cai, 2016).
Even though the policy ended, China still faced problems because of it. One big issue was gender imbalance. Because many families wanted boys instead of girls, China ended up having many more men than women. This has made it difficult for men to find wives and start families. Another problem is the aging population. China now has fewer young people and more elderly people, causing stress on social systems like healthcare and pensions. Wang, Gu, and Cai (2016) noted, “With fewer young people to support older people, China faces pressure on its social welfare systems.”
There were also problems with human rights, as the policy forced some people to have abortions or be sterilized. This caused many ethical concerns and international criticism.
Surprisingly, after the policy ended, China did not see a big increase in births. Many people still choose not to have more children because of high living costs, pressure from work, and changing ideas about family size. Because of this, China allowed three children in May 2021 and removed all limits on family size in July 2021.
In conclusion, ending China’s one-child policy was an important change. However, its long-term effects, such as gender imbalance, aging population, and human rights problems, still affect China today. Policymakers need to continue working to fix these issues and support China’s changing society.
From
The end of China’s one-child policy
Interview
There are three children in my family: I am the youngest, my brother is named Qiantian, and my sister is named Qianyu. My brother was born in 1996 and my sister in 2000.
Next I go talk with my parents.
My parents come from Hainan, China, they married in 1994, had their first baby in 1996, my dad was born in 1973 and manages a restaurant, and my mom was born in 1975 and is a housewife.
Question 1: Did you think it was a bad policy given the circumstances?
My dad answered: Back then this rule was very annoying. Many people were afraid to have more kids because they might get a big fine.
My mom answered: That time, the rule was to stop people having too many babies. But it mostly stopped poor people, because rich people did not care about that small money.
Question 2: So why did you want to have 3 children at that time?
My dad and My mom answered: That time we thought: if only your brother stayed alone, he would get bored. We had enough money, not poor. So we got your sister.
Question 3: Then why was I born again?
My mom answered：For you, me and your dad were not sure. We were already old and did not want another baby. But brother and sister said they wanted one more person in the family. Then you were born.
By 2006/07 only about 36 % of people faced the strict one‑child limit; over half could have a second child if the first was a daughter. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy)
Question 4: how much did my sister and I each have to pay to this one-child policy at the time?
My mom answered：5,000（about 680 US dollars） for your sister, 58,000（about 8,000 US dollars） for you.
Question 5: so what happened to your earlier statement that the fine was waived?
My parents’ answer.：At that time we thought 58,000 was way too much. We did not want to pay. So we used a connection, found a friend inside the population office, and he canceled the fine for having you.
Question 6: so would you guys feel that this policy had a big impact on that time?
My dad answered : I think the rule not make a big change. That time many people still have their second baby. No one stops getting babies only because of the money. One‑child homes happen just because parents do not want more kids.
Question 7: And what gift did you give him at that time to get him to release the fine that would have been mine?
My dad answered :Back then we gave him two packs of cigarettes and one bottle of alcohol. Those were very good things at that time, and only after that did he say he could help cancel our fine.
Question 8:Did you know other people who were having a 3rd child? Was it mostly rich people?
My mom answered：Yes, but only a few. Back then having a baby cost more than the fine—you still needed money to raise the child, and it took a lot of time and energy. So very few people had a third kid, and almost all who did were rich. Most families stopped at two children.
Question 9:Did you hope for another son?
My parents’ answer.： If we had to choose, we wanted one more boy. But a girl would make us happy too, because we already had your brother and sister, so we did not care much.
summarize
China started the one-child rule in 1979 to make fewer people. Most families only could have one child. This rule made problems like too many boys, not enough young workers, and too many old people. In 2015, China said families could have two kids, and in 2021, three kids. But people still don’t want many babies because it’s expensive.
Some studies show the rule hurt kids’ minds, especially boys in cities. China ended the rule because of these problems, but some problems still stay, like too many boys.
Because of the one-child policy, many people at that time didn’t have many children—most only had one. The impact was still very big. My parents were also affected. Even though they had three children, they paid a lot of money. They used a connection to avoid paying the fine for me, but they still gave up a lot.
Overall, China’s one-child rule made many long-time problems for people.