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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Human Geography of Beijing - Population Policy & Development
Population Policy: One-child Policy
Today, China has a population growth rate of 0.6% a year, one of the lowest in the developing world and near the level seen in the developed countries (MEDCs). This is the result of the implementation of the one-child policy in China, about a quarter-century ago.
This policy has been very successful - however, there are problems which surfaced as its effects swept past the whole of China. One rising problem is ageing population. With lesser young, the proportion of elderly would increase over the years. This will lead to a reduction in the country's productivity, which would in turn, deter foreign investments in the country. This slows down the country's development, for there will be less revenue earned from other countries through foreign investments.
Besides, ageing population also pose as a problem for more national funds would be channeled to the building of elderly-friendly facilities and this will lead to a strain on the country's resources, and thus slows down China's economic development.
The policy has also led to a high level of infancide, whereby thousands of baby girls were abandoned or aborted by their parents due to the preference for male heirs. The proportion of men is higher than women in China now, and this has led to social problems for many men could not find wives.
In addition, due to the expectations of the parents, the children, being the only heir at home, were often subjected to stress. This led to high suicide rates, and more children suffering from depression and other psychological problems.
Another disadvantage of this policy is that when the child passes away due to unnatural causes e.g. disasters & accidents, the parents are unable to bear another child for they were forced to sterilise after giving birth to their first - and only - child. This can be seen in the SzeChuan Earthquake this year (2008)
However, this policy was a necessary evil in the 1970s when resources were scarce. A large population of youths (age 0-14) would require more of the country's resource to be chaneled to the building of facilities and amenities to cater to them e.g. building of schools for education. In addition, with a large population of youths, the dependency ratio would increase and the burden on the working people would be further increased.
With a smaller population, more of China's resource can be channeled to the development of the country (e.g. infrastructural developments, technological developments). Development would eventually lead to better technology & skills, which would then translate to a better economy (due to the increased productivity), and thus better livelihood for everyone. This would hence benefit both the country, and its people. Thus, the one-child policy was a necessary evil, and is justified, in our views.