Geography - China's One Child Policy

• China's population in 2006: 1.3 billion.
• Age structure: 0-14=20.8%, 15-64=71.4%, 65+=7.7%.
• Life Expectancy at birth in 2006: 72.6 years.
• Literacy rate: Male=95.1%, Female=86.5%.
• % population living below the poverty line: 10%
• China is an RIC (Recently Industrialised Country)

Why is the OCP?

• China has 25% of the world's population.
• China only has 7% of the Earth's arable lands and 5% of the Earth's fossil fuels.
• A large proporiton of the land is unsuitable for agriculture because there are mountains, deserts and dense forests.

Growth

• In 1949 China's population was 550million.
• Mao Zedong decided that China needed a larger population to fuel and industrial and agricultural revolution.
• This was called 'The Great Leap Forwards'.
• By 1976, the population had swelled to 900million.
• 2 thirds of the populatin were under 30 and as they were reaching their child bearing age there was a huge famine.
• A population cap was needed.

The Policy

• Each couple is allowed to have one child.
• That child's medical and educational expenses are paid for them.
• If you have more than one child, you are strongly encouraged to have an abortion.
• If you do have another child, you have to pay back all the costs of your first child and don't get any help with your first or second children.

The Exceptions

• First child is severly disabled.
• Multiple births.
• Ethnic minorities.
• Foreigners.
• Farmers in rural areas if your first child is a girl.
• Couple who are both only children.
• If the first child dies.

• Infanticide is the killing of babies.
• Girls are killed because they cannot support their families when they get older.
• They are sometimes left by the road, others are left to starve, others are fed poison in their milk.
• There are now 120 boys for every 100 girls.
• China is now missing around 35million girls.
• Girls are sometimes called Maggots in the rice.

Economic

• No pension system set up.
• Basic pension is equivalent of $8.75 a month.
• OCP could pressure 3rd generation to look after 6 elderly people as LE increases.
• $2.9 trillion social security defecit in 2013.

Social

• OCP has prevented 400million births.
• People die of starvation.
• Bad pension system.
• Dozens of villages have a lot of men and barely any women.
• Backlash: more dependency : gender imbalance : increased divorce rate : sex-selective abortion : uneven implementation : negative growth