The Chinese government has decided to ease enforcement of its one-child policy.
Families will now be permitted to have two children if one parent is an only child. This privilege was previously reserved for families in which both parents were only-children.
[caption id=”attachment_4384" align=”alignleft” width=”300"]
Chart demonstrating the adoption rates of Chinese children to U.S. families. Photo courtesy of allgirlsallowed.org[/caption]
The one-child policy was put into effect in the 1970s as a way to alleviate some of China’s social, economic and environment issues, allegedly caused by its high population. The policy has been heavily scrutinized because of the consequences brought on by its implementation.
Previously, in cases were a second child was born into a family and kept, the second child did not receive the benefits and privileges of the first-born child. This dynamic was especially worse for girls who were second-born children, considering the cultural preference for sons.
In cases were the second child was not kept, the parents had the option to put the child up for adoption or have an abortion.
Although the policy has succeeded in curtailing China’s population, several negative consequences such as forced abortions, gender imbalance, shortage of workers and various other social issues have occurred.
The consequences of the one-child policy have drawn much criticism from not only the Chinese but also the west.
John Francis Holland Jr., Government and Politics graduate student says, “There is a global condemnation of this policy from feminists and human rights activists on the left, all the way to Christians and libertarians on the right.”
Although strongly enforced, there have also been contradictions in its enforcement. For example, as Holland cites, “ethnic minorities,” and “families who have children outside of China are exempt.” Chinese people who live on the countryside are also permitted to have a second child, but only if the first-born is a girl or disabled.
The change in the policy comes as a positive for many Chinese people in their 20s and 30s, according to Xinhua, China’s state news agency.
Rebecca McGinnis — Faculty Research Assistant for OIP-Institute for Global Chinese Affairs, speaking on her behalf — personally believes that “China is attempting to ease this situation now with the new and more open ruling.”
The aftereffects of the relaxation of the policy are unknown, but Chinese officials predict they will be positive.
“Relaxing the policy will keep China’s birth rate at a stable rate,” said Guo Zhenwei, a family-planning official with the National Health and Family Planning Commission, as reported by Xinhua.
“With education, and a practical approach, and assistance for those who need social service, China’s people will move more freely and with better understanding of the issues into the future,” said McGinnis. “Their children will be better prepared to have stable relationships and well-informed families.”
Due to mounting pressure from foreign influence, Holland believes that “China’s leadership [will] either abolish the law entirely, or make it only exist on paper.”
