ONE CHILD POLICY
The one-child policy was a policy implemented by the Chinese government
as a method of controlling the population, mandating that the vast majority
of couples in the country could only have one child. This was intended to
alleviate the social, economic and environmental problems associated with
the country's rapidly growing population
List of Advantages of One Child Policy
1. Population Control.
China is one of the most populous countries in the
world, with its population over 1 billion. With making
the One Child Policy a law that every Chinese
family has to abide by and around 400 million births
were prevented. Without the policy, this number will
continue to add up and this can aggravate the
problem of over population.
2. Job Opportunities.
With the strict rule of One Child Policy, children
who grew up during this period were able to find
jobs easily since there will be positions available.
With the number of retirees rising, jobs will need to
be filled in and the younger generation will be the
ones to take the place of the available jobs.
3. Better Life.
One of the advantages of having only a child in the
family is the opportunity given to the newborn of
having a comfortable life. This is because all the
attention, love and financial resources of the
parents will be enjoyed by the child. He or she will
have the chance to get the best education, better
health care and job opportunities. For advocates for
the One Child Policy, this social experiment
promises a better future for the children. Parents
will be able to save up for education and send their
kids to the best schools.
4. Incentives.
As a reward for complying with the policy, Chinese
parents who followed the rule were given
certificates which they used to enjoy some perks
such as getting discounts, applying for education
loans for their children, longer days of maternity
leave and housing loans. Without the policy,
parents will not be able to take advantage of these
privileges.
List of Disadvantages of One Child
Policy
1. Forced Abortions.
Perhaps, one of the setbacks and negative effect of
this social experiment is the high number of
abortions women had to go through just so they will
not be forced to pay fines and sometimes be forced
to undergo sterilizations. Reports say that doctors
perform 1,500 abortions even if the mother is
already seven months pregnant. Women suffer not
only physically but also psychologically and
emotionally.
2. Added Burden on Children.
Being an only child might give one the perks of
having his or her toys for himself or herself and for
getting all the attention of parents. However, a
major disadvantage here is when parents are old
and sickly. It will be hard for the child to juggle
between family life, career and care of parents. It is
already difficult enough to take care of an elderly,
how much more if there are two people to take care
of. Moreover, if the finances are low and medical
attention is needed, the financial burden will be
carried by the child alone. Unlike with having a
sibling or sibling, being the only child can be a
burden in the future.
3. Increased Adoption Number.
The implementation of this policy also forced
parents who did not want to abort their second
children to either hide them or send them up for
adoption. Also, since sons are more favored
choices in families, some girls who were born were
also put up for adoption in other countries like the
United States. Female babies were either hidden or
adopted, if not having to be aborted.
4. Transference of Frustration.
Reports also say that parents who had to follow this
forceful and stringent policy had kept their
frustrations inside and over the years, transferred
their emotions to their children. Consequently,
much more is expected from their children when it
comes to education and achievements. This is why
these children are considered the “Lonely
Generation” because despite the comfortable life
they enjoy, they carry a burden as well. Not only
do they get too much attention that can feel
suffocated with, they are expected to work hard
and excel. All these responsibilities can have a
negative impact on the children.
5. Lack of Skills.
Some children who were born during the social
experimentation say that since they were given all
the attention and considered princes and
princesses, this has also led for them to lack in
skills in life. Since they lived comfortably and did
not have to work hard to earn and get education,
they will find it hard to adjust in certain situations
that require manual labor or handyman skills.