Yesterday, China officially relaxed its one-child policy
introduced in 1979 as its unpopularity, gender imbalance and economic factors start
to drastically influence the country. Forced and selective abortions and the complications of an ageing population have
angered many. Gender imbalance caused by a preference for male offspring will leave 24 million Chinese men without a wife by the end of the decade. Economically, the labour force in China shrank for the first time last year as employers are forced to increase pay to attract employees. So
what has stopping over 200 million births achieved? Will
relaxed laws encourage parents to have more children? Should the population be
considered in greater depth by politicians and the world as a whole?
Abortions
The violation of women’s rights has been a major issue in China.
Parents often medically abort babies if they are girls as the parents prefer male children because of an age-old tradition. Essentially, the
Chinese believe, as with Western cultures and the name of the family, that the
bloodline descends through the males. Also, males were seen as a form of pension for many.
However, sex-selective abortions are illegal in the country,
couples face fines for doing it, but experts fear that by cracking down on these
abortions could drive the practice underground. It is a tricky situation for
the government to handle.
Likewise, if families are unable to pay the 40,000 yuan fine then
the baby must be aborted.
This has led to over 336 million abortions.
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This harrowing picture of Feng Jianmei, and her aborted child, enraged Chinese citizens. This is the reality for many who are unable to pay the 40,000 yuan fine for a second child.
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Ageing Population
China is
poised to become an aged society before it is rich enough to support this ageing
population. We see similar issues in the UK with the mistreatment of the
elderly consistently in the news. The situation in China has been exacerbated by
the one child policy coupled with people living longer who are unable to work.
Right, this is going to sound
wrong and some may take offence but please bear with me. I realise I am considering some difficult areas of humanity.
So, here goes.
The increasing technological
advances in healthcare have been undoubtedly a progression for humankind. But,
with this advance has come the ability to keep our loved ones going for longer.
Why should we, when we have the relevant technology, witness our parents,
grandparents or greatparents die earlier then they have to? As a human I do
not, I love my family.
As an outsider, i.e not a human
but some form of metaphorical alien, I would disagree.
From the outside, and this is a
viewpoint without emotion or empathy, the planet cannot sustain our population.
Evidently, restricting parents to one child comes with complications but it has
prevented 336 million people being born. Yet, the way it was achieved was unseemly.
Furthermore, if the elderly are
assessed against our capitalist system then they are economically inefficient.
I feel wrong to class them as that but an outsider may reach
that conclusion. This presents difficulties as defining humankind in these simplistic terms presents a conundrum. What about those who are presently unemployed? Do we stop supporting them because they are economically inefficient at that present time? Thus, we must define humans by something more then their economic output.
What do we assess? What they have done in their lifetimes? How many wars they have fought? How lazy they have been? Consequently, issues are presented when we do not define people economically. Is there a happy (?) medium?
Moreover, is it right that we prolong the lives of humans beyond
what is natural? Though what does natural mean? And, thus should we change our
economic model? It is the state that must support the elderly as the children
must work to keep the economy going. Those against state intervention must
consider this predicament.
If we continue to define humans economically, just look at the news and you will find this, then these arguments need answering.
Personally, I have witnessed the decline of my grandmother from sweeping the patios 3 years ago at the age of 94 to an inability to remember or function at the age of 97. She is like this because she refuses to take the medicine that will keep her going and I somewhat admire her for it. She repeatedly states that a good diet, a healthy lifestyle and her stubborn attitude is what kept her going. For the most part she is right.
What does all this mean?
- I think we should assess whether our population growth is sustainable.
- Analyse different methods for population control. I do not want to violate free will but merely encourage parents to consider the impacts of population on the world. A child is a gift not a matter of fact and thus the parents should be prepared to support and nurture their children. Of course there are exceptions to this (i.e. rape).
- Assess the states remit and responsibilities for the care of the elderly.
I want to answer these
questions so that we understand our commitments to the elderly, the economic
factors and the pressures placed upon the next generation. Avoiding this difficult issue will not help the situation.
This Native American proverb
surmerises this well:
"Treat the
earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by
your children."
Gender Imbalance
By the end of the decade 24 million men in China will be without a wife.
Yet, as China has developed economically the issue of gender in the vibrant coastal regions has largely transformed from birth control to other issues. The number of men without wives looks likely to
fall in future years.
Further, the Government is trying to promote women’s rights throughout the country with roadside signs telling villagers that girls
can continue the family line; focus-group discussions for mothers-in-law; help
packages for women starting businesses and extra encouragement for girls to
enter schools. Officials have even tried to promote the idea of men marrying
into women's families, rather than vice versa.
Likewise,
the idea of sons acting as a form of pension is not entirely accurate. This
report typifies this:
“Chen admits that she was
initially disappointed when her daughter was born. "Of course, I wanted to
have a boy. But after giving birth, I thought: 'I don't care. This is my baby,'"
she says.
"I looked around me; one of my neighbours had five sons and
one daughter. One day, when he was 60 or 70, he wanted some money from his sons
for living costs. He cooked a tableful of dishes and bought wine and invited
his sons. But none of them agreed to give the money to him. He was furious and
smashed the table with his stick. And I thought: 'Well, sons are
useless.'"
Meanwhile, she noticed, daughters were returning to visit their
parents, bringing gifts and money. Despite strong pressure from her husband and
in-laws, she refused to have another child: Qiaoyue was enough for her.”
In fact, based on a sex ratio
estimate in 2008 there were only 1.06 male(s)/female.
These progressions are positive
for the rights of women and I look forward to seeing further progression.
Economics
Economically, it
is pertinent to discuss the work of Sir Arthur Lewis who won a Nobel Peace
Prize in 1979 for his theories of development and its relation to population. Lewis’ “dual
sector model” purports that economies advance without triggering inflation
because the expanding industrial sector can scoop up labour from the subsistence
primary (agricultural) sector. Thus, an
unlimited supply of peasants willing to work in factories for low, but not
subsistence, wages allows the industrial sector to power ahead by earning, then
reinvesting, excessive profits.
However,
there comes a time when the supply of surplus labour peters out and developing
countries confront a labour shortage. The point at which an abundance of labour
is about to vanish is known as a “Lewis turning point”. Among its symptoms:
wage increases outstrip productivity, industrial profits decline, investment
drops and inflation becomes a threat.
This is
exactly what is occurring in China.
Inflation,
increases in wages and a strengthening of the reminbi have pushed up the cost
of exports from China.
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Government
sign in Tangshan Township: "For a prosperous, powerful nation and a happy
family, please practice family planning." This sign is perhaps a tad
simplistic in its conclusions?
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Ergo,
China’s reliance on a cheap workforce has been undone by its birth control
policies.
Questions answered?
I have certainly updated my knowledge on the one-child policy in China. It is important to note that the policy has only been reformed to allow parents with either parent being an only child to have one more child. This means for this present generation most of the couples can have two children.
Furthermore, within China parents are focused on giving their children the best possible future and therefore one-child families are likely to remain. It is seen as a norm rather then an oddity now.
The government of China has been surprisingly understanding in its treatment of gender in the country by promoting the role of women in society.
Regarding abortion it is a predicament that comes with enforcing the policy. The government has to enforce the policy's subsequent fines and forced abortions for it to work and keeping abortions away from the underground system is a good thing. Clearly, by revoking the policy then the abortions would decrease, which we will hopefully now witness.
An ageing population is a predicament that needs to be discussed in all countries of the world. I really feel this is an issue that needs more attention from the media. Rather then focusing on the plight of the elderly we need to assess why they are in this state? The pension system was an inviting concept that failed to fulfill to its promises due to economic pressure. Are pensions beneficial?
Economically, China will now face the consequences of its policy. However, it is good for the rights of workers, their pay and will perhaps slow down the economy.
I would love to hear your views on the one-child policy, the ageing population and why/if you think population is an issue for this generation?
