The One-Child Policy in China Today
In: Journal of comparative family studies, Band 18, Heft 2, S. 309-325
ISSN: 1929-9850
Human population control is achieved by either natural adjustment, or by conscious adjustment on the part of society. As the world becomes smaller, the destinies of human beings become more closely inter-twined. Conscious adjustments by particular societies to control the growth of their populations will center around family planning and will be based on the situation faced by individual societies. China has embarked on an ambitious program to control the growth of its population. The One-Child Policy is a product of Chinese historical development and of policies formulated by the Chinese government since 1949. Furthermore, the policy has developed as a result of urgent social and economic circumstances. It is designed, to relax population pressure and tension in this historical period and is destined to change in the future. This article presents the achievements of, and prospects for, the One Child Policy. Discussed are the positive and negative effects of the policy. The policy exacts a sacrifice by the Chinese people for the peace, stability and prosperity of China and the world. It is projected that the Chinese population growth rate will be reduced to zero in about 2010. The longevity of the policy will depend upon the effects and speed of national economic development and cultural change throughout China.
