Policy of china [edit: The one child policy]

[yarukon]

I think the most of u know, that chin has a one children policy. It means that a married couple just have to get one child.
This is the direct consequence of the increasing number of kids who r selfish, loner and addicted to computer games and other multimedia stuff!
Thats just because they have no examples, like brothers or sisters who show them how to make it beter or so.

What do u say to this policy.. i know that the chinese country had to enact this law, cauz of the increasing world population!

Is it true ? or just stupid rumors?

[Pugwash]

Oh ya, it's true. I mean, just searching for it on Google brings up a bunch of results:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=china+one+child+policy&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&meta=

It maybe cruel but, I think it might be for the best. I mean, look at China's population now.. it's frickin' huge, any larger and it will become a problem. Although, I do think it's a bit restrictive.. hmm.. hard choice. :)

[scarletwillow]

I think the most of u know, that chin has a one children policy. It means that a married couple just have to get one child.
This is the direct consequence of the increasing number of kids who r selfish, loner and addicted to computer games and other multimedia stuff!
Thats just because they have no examples, like brothers or sisters who show them how to make it beter or so.

What do u say to this policy.. i know that the chinese country had to enact this law, cauz of the increasing world population!

Is it true ? or just stupid rumors?

I'm sorry, but everything you just said is COMPLETELY baseless.

The One Child Law: One child is maximum without additional taxes.
For each child after your first, you are taxed more.
This law only applies to families living in large cities.
Families in rural areas, and non-Han ethnic groups are EXEMPT. In case you don't know, if you're from China, chances are your ethnic group is Han. That includes Taiwanese, HK'ers, and SG'ers.

Do you know how many people are in Mainland China? 1.3 billion people.
Do you know what would happen if all couples had more than 1 child?
Think about it. Population growth is exponential. Not only is most of China's land infertile, but if the population grows even more, it would become completely inhospitable.

If you like to extrapolate, you only have to look at World War II Era Japan to see what happens when a country's land becomes inadequate to sustain its population.

The One Child Policy a brilliant campaign to stop overpopulation.
Nothing more.
Its positive effects FAR outweight the negative.

You people in the rest of the world need to stop pointing fingers at China if you don't understand what goes on there. How can you say there are a lot of kids who "r selfish, loner and addicted to computer games and other multimedia stuff" because they don't have siblings? Uh, hello. We have friends and neighbors too. No better examples? How about...
1. Parents
2. Students
3. Teachers
4. Family
Sheesh. Like your sibling is going to always be the shining beacon of light.

EDIT:
I RESTATE AGAIN:
You can have more than one child.
If you live in a city, you will just be taxed more. If you live in the country or are of a smaller ethnic group, you are exempt.

[iphei]

I think that even though it breeds more kids that are a little bit selfish (and I'm sure this is in terms of how the Chinese think, aka prob not as bad as some of the kids we have here who are truly spoiled x.x) it's a really good way to decrease over-population. I mean, look at Africa. Over population = malnutrition = more deaths.

[scarletwillow]

I fail to see how being an only child makes one selfish, especially in a highly society-centered culture like in mainland China.
We are brought up with strict principles and strict morals in an environment that lacks the resources the rest of the modernized world has.

Does that make us worse?

[iphei]

Exactly, that's why I meant that to an Asian perspective, they seem more selfish. But when taken to the views of everyone else, the kids aren't really selfish because our morals and principles are so strict. And you must admit, with one kid, the parents are more likely to spoil the child more than if love had to be split between two or more children.

[jakinni]

I agree with all the things scarletwillow has listed about the positives of the one-child policy, however I do feel that some of the negatives mentioned in the first post are valid. In the big cities, where the one-child policy is more enforced and noticeable, there are far more parents that are financially well-off than there used to be. With the Chinese values setting a general mentality of having to excel and achieving the best in everything from academics to extracurriculars such as music, arts, calligraphy etc., parents are devoting much more of their resources toward "bettering" their child. Making them more competitive in the already very competitive world of Mainland China. This is especially so in one child families where all the resources and attention are focused on that one child since they are seen as the only source of continuation of the family. Sure you get the benefits of a multitalented child, one who is well rounded in various disciplines, but it often comes with elitist attitudes of looking down on less well off families, people from the country etc. And with the emphasis on academics and solitary activities such as music instruments or art, I think it does tend to cultivate a more self-centered person. But hey, perhaps that's what's required to survive in that dog eat dog world.

With that said, I still feel that the positives far outweigh the negatives and so I do think this policy is for the overall good of China and the world in general.

[scarletwillow]

Exactly, Jakinni.
Each of us is a mini-Renaissance man :)

I'd also like to add that families in China... well, families in nearly all Asian countries, are VERY close. They tend to stick together in the same cities... your cousin is likely to be one of your best friends. That's something the rest of the world lacks--the extended family is very spread apart in other parts of the world.

If there's one thing that's affected me while I'm in the United States, its the lack of extended family.

[raerei]

Yes I agree completely with you Jialiu and Jakinni.

I see nothing wrong with the One Child Policy, because nothing in there states anything unfair.
And he's right that the positive effects outweigh the negative ones.
It's to stop the world from becoming overpopulated, and we sure don't want that.
Also, people's financial situations might be better now, than in the past.

[vunsin]

There are some problems as a result of the policy. Not that the policy itself is wrong. It's just that people's attitude and reaction to it are wrong.

There's the abortion of female fetuses and the killing of newborn baby girls. In the near future, young Chinese men will have trouble finding Chinese wives because of the growing sex imbalance.

This is an old article, but you get the picture: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/text5-13-2002-18296.asp

[fluffysheep]

the one-child policy has always been interesting to me...i ended up writing a research paper on it back in high school. plus it's always something to think about if you consider my family (we're chinese but i have 5 siblings o_0). i remember reading something about how the one-child policy makes a lot of families choose to have a boy rather than a girl (keeping the family name, higher income too i suppose) and so by 2020, there'll be something around tens of millions of single boys who can't find wives/girlfriends! good for chinese girls, bad for chinese boys. i guess it'll continue to be a population stabilizer by preventing all of those men from getting married and having their own families...still kind of sad though. but...it must be done.

[vunsin]

good for chinese girls, bad for chinese boys.
Not necessarily good for Chinese girls. What if some people go around stealing girls for their sons or something? It's not like this has never happened before.

[jayx8318x]

I remember Lisa Ling was talking about this one time on Oprah:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5210754/
And apparently:

Another emerging social problem is that many children, especially boys, have been pampered since birth and are becoming spoiled. Known as “little emperors,” many of these coddled children are battling expanding waistlines.

I wouldn't discount the idea that these boys are spoiled. Tell ya the truth, I know many only childs, and all of them are very much spoiled, the fact they deny it makes it more so :rolleyes: ...they've grown so immune to the situation, they don't recognize it as being spoiled anymore.

[vunsin]

Another problem is, actually, a part of the culture/tradition is lost. I mean, if you're an only child and your parents are also only child, you won't have any aunts, uncles, or cousins, and in the future, no nieces or nephews! Seriously, one of my friend is 35, has a PhD and a very high IQ, but she doesn't know how one should address his/her aunt's daughter. :wacko:

[scarletwillow]

There's already a huge problem in China. A *serious* shortage of girls.
Birthrate currently is 6 boys for every 5 girls. And with the influx of foreigners "stealing" native girls, it's causing a lot of strain on society. Not only that, but as I've mentioned in other threads, there's the whole girl-power movement which is spreading into China. A lot of women *want* to be single now. That's a big problem.

And yes, the biggest problem that arises is probably abortion. That happens more in the rural areas though. One solution I've seen to this is actually for the government to give tax breaks to families with girls.

[vunsin]

What about those people just killing or dumping their baby girls after they're born? :?

Well... those people who want to continue their family lines by passing on the family name will most probably end up with descendants who're not 100% Chinese. I wonder how they'd like that. :hmm:

[scarletwillow]

They're more likely to sell them than to just dump or kill them.
Another reason why China needs to get its ass out of the 18th century.

[vunsin]

But the fact is, there ARE people who kill and dump their baby girls.

Anyhow, selling them is stupid too. I mean, okay, you sell your own daughter, but in the future, you'll need to buy a wive for you son. Dumb.

[jakinni]

But then again, female infanticide has always been a problem in Chinese culture. Perhaps now it's more prevalent in big cities due to this one child policy, but hasn't it always been problematic in the countryside where there's very little awareness of contraceptives and where many people live at or below poverty? So when un-informed families have to choose between a baby girl or a baby boy, it's not difficult to see which they'd choose.

[vunsin]

Either way, they'll end up with the same result: sex imbalance.

*sigh* Those people need to change their attitudes!

[scarletwillow]

More like they need a change in government.

Seriously... when they execute you for TAX EVASION, they might as well do it for murder!!!
Pisses me off.

I hate to put it with such a stupid catchphrase, but,
TO MOVE FORWARD WE MUST OVERCOME

Dammit -_-

[vunsin]

I thought you said there was nothing wrong with the policy? :? Or maybe you mean the government isn't doing a good job at implementing the policy? Or what? :?

[scarletwillow]

I completely forgot about all the abortions.
That changes the argument altogether.

It would be nice for the government to find a way to quell these things though...
Although, personally, I'd like to see another government altogether of course :P

Not only that, but ideally, the law would just be a social and progressive *campaign* and not a law.

[vunsin]

Well... that's about changing the attitude, like I've brought up. I mean, sure, the government has an important role to play in that, but people should also start doing something and not just rely on the government to tell them what to do.

[yarukon]

Scarewillow

Everything u said in your first post i already knew. I am very interested in china and i know what positive aspects there r. U r right with everything u said.
I just wanted u to say something to the personality of the childrens(selfish, ...)
I know that this campaign is very good and i know that the increasing population of the world is the most important problem in the world.

Dont think that i have a clue whats going on the ein china.

[ker_ai_teresa]

well it's really a lose-lose situation isn't it?
policy = decrease in the female popluation and increase in orphans
no policy = increase in population

what can you do?

[scarletwillow]

Teresa, the thing is that the government has a good idea on their hands... they just don't know how to implement it.

If there's anyone selfish, it's the government... think about it like this:
If you born a second child, they'll find out and tax you.
If you kill your second child, they could give less of a damn.

[lilmxmissile]

Scarletwillow, I agree with your thoughts on this issue..but I think it's almost a lost cause..at least for now. This is more a cultural issue rather than political. Chinese culture has always condoned the dominance of the male vs. female sex - this is nothing new. From passing on the "family name" to "husbands running the house", male babies have always been more valued than females. Until we can change how people THINK, it's hard to find a win/win situation.

However, China is slowly becoming more evolved and forward thinking, though still pretty slow given that a huge chunk is still rural and poor (little to no education). On the positive side, China is now the world's fastest growing economy..which means an influx of foreign investment (and inevitably foreign influence). Everyday, China becomes more and more capitalistic - Think about Shenzhen 10 years ago and Shenzhen today.. I think in the future, as China grows more capitalistic, women's roles will change (in the workforce and at home) which may lead to a cultural re-vamp.

How long it will take to happen, though, who knows?

[swtaznkandi]

I'm sorry, but everything you just said is COMPLETELY baseless.

The One Child Law: One child is maximum without additional taxes.
For each child after your first, you are taxed more.
This law only applies to families living in large cities.
Families in rural areas, and non-Han ethnic groups are EXEMPT. In case you don't know, if you're from China, chances are your ethnic group is Han. That includes Taiwanese, HK'ers, and SG'ers.

Do you know how many people are in Mainland China? 1.3 billion people.
Do you know what would happen if all couples had more than 1 child?
Think about it. Population growth is exponential. Not only is most of China's land infertile, but if the population grows even more, it would become completely inhospitable.

If you like to extrapolate, you only have to look at World War II Era Japan to see what happens when a country's land becomes inadequate to sustain its population.

The One Child Policy a brilliant campaign to stop overpopulation.
Nothing more.
Its positive effects FAR outweight the negative.

You people in the rest of the world need to stop pointing fingers at China if you don't understand what goes on there. How can you say there are a lot of kids who "r selfish, loner and addicted to computer games and other multimedia stuff" because they don't have siblings? Uh, hello. We have friends and neighbors too. No better examples? How about...
1. Parents
2. Students
3. Teachers
4. Family
Sheesh. Like your sibling is going to always be the shining beacon of light.

EDIT:
I RESTATE AGAIN:
You can have more than one child.
If you live in a city, you will just be taxed more. If you live in the country or are of a smaller ethnic group, you are exempt.

i agree with everything you said. having just visited china last month, i see why they had to instigate such a law. for those of you who have never been to china, the populations in the big cities are GARGANTUAN. my tour guide said xi'an had a population of 800,000, and it's considered a small city. good grief. although i feel sorry for the children who don't have siblings and for the women who have to have abortions, there really is no other way to control the population. it's harsh, but absolutely necessary. in fact, i think they should start imposing this law in other parts of the world as well. i see america having a population problem in the future too, probably within my lifetime.

[smilepiggy]

Hmm, but doesnt imposing taxes and stuff a deincentive not to give birth to more than one child? I think that most people in the city area do not give birth to as much children as the rural areas, right? Because it is like the rural people are normally the poorer ones but then again, they are the one who have so many children than they can afford.
But i do agree that if we do not stop the rapid popluaton increase, its gonna be EXPLODING soon.

[scarletwillow]

Anyone here know who Thomas Malthus is?
He formulated that a community can only support a certain number of people at maximum.
Basically, if you start with a small population (ancient China), it'll grow exponentially.
However, there is a point at which the land can only support that maximum.
We are now reaching that maximum.

What happens if you reach it?
Well, the population will initially overshoot that maximum. Then, because resources are less than what is needed to sustain population growth, the population will quickly die off. Then it'll go back up again to the max. Then die again.

This is our first time reaching the maximum, really. Malthus also gave a few ways to quell population... disease, famine, and war. I do hope there's a war soon, really. A big country can't lose a war nowadays. If China wins, they get more stuff. If they lose, the world rebuilds it stronger. Lovely, lovely.

lilmxmissile: I'd give it another 10 years. I'm expecting big things out of Beijing 2008 Olympics. As long as we don't fall down the same shithole that South Korea fell into, we'll be fine. Changing trends isn't the same thing as changing culture or history. I don't want to gain prosperity if I have to lose my history.

swtaznkandi: America's projected collapse is around 100-200 years in the future, so you'll only be seeing the tip of the iceberg :) America's been in a moral and cultural downfall since the end of World War II. If the backbone of a country breaks, nothing else can function. I blame it on Elvis.

smilepiggy: I'm having a bit of trouble understanding your post... "doesnt imposing taxes and stuff a deincentive not to give birth to more than one child?" ...dun use double negatives, dearie ^_~
Smilepiggy, here's the state of mind of a rural couple.
Every child is for...
1. Survival - Someone is bound to die...
2. An Investment - If your child does not die, if you take care of him or her, he or she will one day be able to help you on the field. That is incredibly valuable.
3. Someone to take care of you when you're old

My dad grew up in a very, very poor village in China, started out with jack shit, and now we're upper middle class in America. So I'm very grateful for that... he's told me a lot of stories about these things. His parents would tear his schoolbooks because they didn't want him studying--they wanted him out in the field.

[babyxv]

i'm against this policy just because MANY families end up killing their daughters because they want to carry on the family name. (by the way, i think that's stupid. there are only so many last names and thousands upon thousands of people have the same last name.)

it's a great way to prevent over-population, but then so many people die, so it's just not worth it.

[iphei]

If you don't prevent over-population, people will die, just a little later on in their lives. But think about it, isn't death from mal-nutrition / hunger even worse than a baby dying before being able to feel pain? (I do understand the shortage of females from the popultation...)

What happens if you reach it?
Well, the population will initially overshoot that maximum. Then, because resources are less than what is needed to sustain population growth, the population will quickly die off. Then it'll go back up again to the max. Then die again.

Doesn't it at some point reach the maximum, and then eventually level off? I'm not sure.

[scarletwillow]

Nope, it doesn't level off.
Leveling off means that the birth rate is exactly equal to the death rate... so that's pretty hard to obtain.

[rosiean86]

There are many postives and negatives to weigh in. But I agree that the positives outweigh the negatives. Either way, if you enforce the one-child policy or not, there's going to be ppl dying. If you enforce it, there will be more girls dying due to sexist attitudes; if you don't enforce it, eventually (like Willy posted) there will be a mass dying out. Now which would you say is better?

In fact, I think it would be a wise idea if many other countries started adopting the one-child policy, but I know that's a very unrealistic idea. But we really are running out of space and soon enough there's going to be mass extinction of the human race. No species has lived forever; no species ever will.

There are lots of cons to it of course. Like Jakinni said, sometimes there can be too much pressure on the one child, esp. if it's a boy. The high school exam in itself causes tons of kids to have a breakdown-they do nothing but study all day, really. Not only that, now that the economic conditions of China are getting better for some families, some kids are extremely spoiled now. You know that stereotype that Chinese kids are all skinny? Yeah, you better erase that, because I saw a ton of fat kids when I went back this summer. Chinese food is the best anyway (imo of course)-what kid is going to push away dishes and dishes of yummy food and desserts shoved in their faces by loving relatives? Not only are they getting fatter, they're just ridiculously spoiled and have no survival skills, and no street smarts because their family does everything for them.

Then of course, there's the whole abortion/ killing of females to consider. My roommate told me that they don't allow ultrasound performed in China anymore b/c most people would end up aborting the fetus if it was a girl. And even if they don't use ultrasound, there's probably lots of old wives tales and myths to "determine" the sex of your baby. Then of course, some people just kill the girl right after she's born. This bothers me as well (heck, I was almost aborted!), don't get me wrong, but I don't think that we should blame it on the one-child policy. Instead, we should try to educate people into believing that women should be held in equal regard as men. Again, I know that's highly unrealistic, but China's ideals are changing and becoming more modernized.

[nycgirls]

First, it does not mean that you cannot have TWINS, TRIPLETS, and MORE... they only allow a one-time childbirth, to be exact. If it is true, I would be here right now typing my debate for this topic... :shifty:

Second of all, we do not KILL the child/children who came out as a second birth... we are not that bloody and inhumaned! But a long-term price shall pay, as the child goes to be educated, their fees will be severely high, and plus the one time heavy fine that you would have to pay when the child is borned.

Third, it is all about the birth control... why you cannot claim others living in other parts of the world that using birth control to extend their pleasures and avoid future family hassles as being cruel? In this way, THEY CHOOSE TO USE IT! In a humanitarian angle, they have violated the morality consciousness as well. Why blaming China as being cruel on this issue?

On the point of using birth control, we use it to BALANCE THIS WORLD! Well, let's say that in this modern era, humans have invented lots of unnatural things, created more unnatural disasters. If you want to treat the unnatual population overgrowth, you would also use the unnatual way to heal it, in this topic, birth control. Why not use it when it is effective? :worry:

So birth control is not as scary as you think, and China is not being dominated as you think, and this world is not as perfect as you think, so please be responsible and think before you speak.

[freebird_brown]

the one child policy is realy very necessary... but... some issues...
-parents killing children (to get boys or to avoid taxes)
i agree wit scarletwillow about the gov't's poor management. it's terrible for a family to do that so the governemtn really should start passing some laws that prevents crap like that.
-taxing cities and not rural
ridiculous. both places should be taxed. i don't care whether the cities have waay more population than the rural areas. it should be equal nationwide.
-people who have twins
totally shoudl be exempt bc u can't help it if u have twins! and it's like definitely deaht for one child. when i walk around china with my sister, people freak out bc they think we're twins. there's a problem with that.

and india, crazy country should enforce something bc they're waaay overpopulated!

[Hanzo]

wooo, this is a great topic :D

1st of all, im totally pro 1 child policy. If there was one thing the commies did for china, it was this policy that was enforced starting from late 70s. Although China's population is still growing but it will be dramatically less than if the law was not enforced. Look at India' their population will surpass that of china's in 15 or 20 years. Scary how India's inhabitable landmass is smaller than China's.

If this law was not enforced, the large cities would not be sustainable. First it would be problems with sanatations, transportation, waste disposal, hospitals, etc etc, I know many coastal and major cities are growing at a rapid rate but if the 1 child policy was not enforced 30 years ago, many cities would have at least 20-30% more population than todays.

The problem that most mentioned about the inbalance in sex. The way i see it, it will follow the law of the jungle, the strong survives. The strong men as in (intellegent, good-looking, powerful, basically men with high education and career) will get married and have kids, while the others will get weeded out and die single. i know it sounds harsh but that's the way it's gonna be with the 6-male to 5-female inbalance. Even today, many city men are seeking wives from rural areas because city women are lacking.

Okay now about the issue with only child being spoiled/loners/dependent, it's all true. The "little emperor" phrase has been in use for decades. That is something I hate about kids my age or younger that are in china these days. They treat their parents with disrespected, spend their parents hard-earned money like crazy, no self-survival skills, etc etc. And yes the kids in cities are fat these days, real fat, i blame american franchais such as McDs and PizzaHut, KFC, they are all evil, oh yeah STARBUCKS!!! evil!! they are making chinese ppl fat and making a killing off of it. but then again, these kids will be the ones weeded out when they grow up :P

[sundae]

all you have to do is go to china and you will understand why there is a one child policy. it is totally overpopulated and crowded and lets just say i loved coming home. my parents are from china and i'm not dissing it, but i wouldn't even see the point of having more then one child, it seems to me the majority of people have enough issues feeding one mouth let alone more.

[POTO]

Personally, I support China's one child policy cause if overpopulation occurs, it is not going to be very good for a country that is prospering like wildfire.

However, the one child policy should be a temporary measure to curb couples for having too much babies. Eventually, the china's government would withdraw this curfew once the birthrates are at a normal level.

[Melvin]

The positive points of China's one child policy are:
The single child will be taken care more effeciently by their parents.. If they have too many children, they'd think that its okay even if one of their children fails to get into university and such..
neg. points:
by having only one child, if the child unforutunately suffers a mishap, the parents would be childless..
the child will grow up lonely.. but maybe this is to encourage all children to go to school then..

[u154801]

BUT U KNOW
this 1 only child policy WOULD cause some problems

becoz the restriction most marry couples will want a BOY rather then a GIRL

WHY? well when a girl gets married its a bit like leaving her current family...also influences about guys roles

so even with such a policy they just murder the baby if its a girl and keep it if its a boy...... I heard in chiina they used to do this

and its said if china keeps this trend BOYS will eventually find it hard to find girls in future as BOYS population will out grow the current ratios

[midori]

*gasp* it's like a government sponsored birth control!

Question is.. like all birth controls.. WILL IT WORK??

[zhy378]

.....Okay now about the issue with only child being spoiled/loners/dependent, it's all true. The "little emperor" phrase has been in use for decades. That is something I hate about kids my age or younger that are in china these days. They treat their parents with disrespected, spend their parents hard-earned money like crazy, no self-survival skills, etc etc. And yes the kids in cities are fat these days, real fat, i blame american franchais such as McDs and PizzaHut, KFC, they are all evil, oh yeah STARBUCKS!!! evil!! they are making chinese ppl fat and making a killing off of it. but then again, these kids will be the ones weeded out when they grow up :P

hmm...interestin topic, never knew about the additional tax thingy for more than one kid.
so yeah, half agree with you Hanzo i dont think all the china kids *cough* teenagers are distrespecting their parents that rude. i think i see worse here in america. over there, they probably spend alot of their parents money is because they are their parents' only child. less kids, more food for the child/children and more unhealthy they get especially from those KFC and McDonalds. :shifty:
beside the gender and birth control issue....
okay, i got friends who had been here in America for at least two years-four years. to me, they seem more sophisticated and mature/responsible than the american-born-chinese such as me. i always asked them if they would like a sibling. without a sister or brother, i feel that they feel left out compared to the nuclear family stuff we see on tv.:worry: even though the one child policy is good because of their population situation, is just that, it would feel nice to have more people such as cousins and siblings for a extended family.:happy:

[aznjayhunter]

ha. i was a second child born in china. my mom had to pay a costly fine. it was not cool, but hey, HERE I AM!

ava: yeah, its so true how american-born kids are hmmm less responsible than chinese-born kids. *not implying that you are immature and irresponsible* american kids dont respect their parents as much as chinese kids. chinese parents have stricter (is that a word?) rules because of the culture in china. right? like kids have to respect the elders, take care of their parents once they get old, call their older siblings "older sister (jie jie) or older brother (di di), etc. here in america????? ha. kids yell at their parents for not giving them enough "privacy" and "space." my mom doesnt want us to be like the typical american teenagers.

[KicKaNgeL]

i feel as if i'm writing a critique for my geography essay. lol.
first off, i do agree that this policy has serious social implications, such as the "little emperor's syndrome", whereby the kids are being too pampered, as mentioned in earlier posts. this also has an economic implication because having been pampered at home, he would not subject himself to being 'bullied' at the workplace should he hold a lower rank in the company. in these cases, the child is likely to quit within a short period of time, causing productivity of companies and the economy to be hampered should 100 such people commit this act. however, many geographers has said that this is only a minor problem compared to female infanticide.
as many of you are aware of, the chinese generally prefer sons(sorry if i sound tactless or anything). therefore, should the wife give birth to a daughter, this daughter is sometimes killed(pun unintended). my lecturer once showed me a picture of a female newborn covered in blood lying on the pavement by the road. it was almost unnoticeable for it was tiny and drivers did not even give a second glance at the sight of it. either it was too gory or it was a norm. of course, i believe this was before china opened its economy to the world.
many of us believe that the policy is essential to prevent outstripping of china's resources with the high birth rate. however, this policy has its limitations. it is only enforced on certain cultural groups(the majority), in the urban areas and is only imposed strictly on civil servants. what is more shocking is that the wealthy urban dwellers send their children off to the rural areas to "hide" while applying to migrate. hence, the whole family will migrate separately and is reunited in another country where they can lead a normal life, ie. not having to hide from authorities most of the time. therefore, how successful can this policy be having seen these limitations?
personally, i am glad that the policy has been laxed. i mean, it would be impossible to completely do away with the policy in the short run lest china see a sudden increase in birth rate. i believe in time to come when the chinese are more open to western culture and react to the rising cost in raising children, having less children will come as a norm to them. hopefully by then, we won't see extreme cases of female infanticide.
i apologise if this entry has offended anyone in anyway. this entry is fully subjective and i do realise that in dealing with such slippery issues, one has to be tactful. i apologise once again if i sounded insensitive or tactless in any part of my entry.