The Worlds Most Populous Nation
China is the world’s most populous nation and its population has increased by approximately 25 people every minute every day for the past 40 years. For a developing country such as China where only 7 percent of the world’s land is suitable for growing crops, rapid and persistent population growth can contribute significantly to the nation’s poverty restrain its potential for economic growth.
China’s one-child family policy was first announced in 1979. In the announcement speech, Deng Xiaoping stated his first outline of the policy in order to limit population growth. “Use whatever means you must to control China’s population. Just do it.”
The aim of China’s on-child family policy was to help slow population growth to 1.2 billion by the year 2000. It was hoped that third and higher order births could be eliminated and that about 30% of couples might agree to not have a second child.
Since no law exists governing the number of children a couple can have, a series of incentives and disincentives have been designed in order to make the policy successful.
The incentives and disincentives varied from region to region. One incentive parents with one child would get include paid pregnancy leave for up to three years, a 5-10 percent salary bonus, free health care and education and higher pensions when retirement time rolled around. Families with more than one child were excluded from these benefits and were subject to financial penalties.
The government also had there own population control plans for the rural areas of China. Contraceptive and abortion services were also extended in the country side. In addition, there was also a large promotion of later marriage, longer intervals between births and overall decrease in Children per family.
Although many people who are uneducated on the topic of China’s one child policy view It as being cruel, I believe it is better than living in a world where half the...