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Chinas Solution

One Child Policy

Assignment
Using your textbook (pages 201-203) and the internet, answer the following:
1. Provide some background on Chinas One Child Policy (origins, etc.) 2. List some of the punishments and rewards associated with the program 3. What are some of the issues that have arisen as a result of the policy

Background
Family Planning Policy was introduced by Deng Xiaoping in 1979 Population at the time was 970 million

Current population 1.35 billion estimated 400 million fewer births


Strict system of incentives for breaking/following the rules

Punishments
Loss of medical care Decreased wage Forced sterilizations/abortions Benefits cease No university acceptance for children Decreased pension Repayment of financial benefits from first child

Rewards
Increased wages and bonuses Free vacations for sterilizations, etc. Preferential housing Extra maternity leave and free daycare Free medical care Free tuition for children Extra pension income Guaranteed job for child when they graduate

Problems with the policy


Female infanticide (killing female babies so that they could have another child with hopes of it being a boy) Decreased number of people in the family to support it financially (women did not have the same job opportunities as men) Abandonment of female babies (full orphanages) Social problems more males than females

Present Situation
Couples in rural areas can now have another child after four years if their first child is a girl Couples with a female baby get cash bonuses Girls can now support parents in old age and have jobs and possessions handed down to them Old age pension is increased for compliance

Successful?
Birth rate has decreased by over 200% in the past 40 years Is that enough? What about human rights? Equality? Forced sterilization/abortion issues? Labour force?

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