My sweet padlet by asli salan

1- When did China begin to limit its population growth? What was the reason?

China had one of the highest growth rates in the world in the 1970s, with its population being equivalent to a third of the total world population. The Chinese population was just about to hit the one billion mark when the government decided to come up with measures to help in the reduction and control of the population growth. The government used many family planning approaches, which led to one of the most rapid transitions of population growth in the history of humankind. Hence, the limiting of the population began during the early 1970s as the government became quite concerned with the rapid population growth of its citizens. In 1979, China officially announced the policy of one child per family, which resulted in fertility falling drastically to 2.7 children for each woman. The reason for the move was to reduce the population, being that the high population would paralyze China's economic development and lower the quality of life, with the majority languishing in poverty and suffering characterized by lack of food and water.

2- What are some of the reasons people want/ do not want a second child?

Easing the one-child policy in 2013 by the Chinese government elicited a mixed reaction among people. Some people were excited to have a second child, while others failed to show interest. Based on evidence from the passage, a higher proportion of eligible couples declined to have a second child. For this group, they argued that economic expenses and pressures that come with raising children, especially in China's highly competitive society, are the reason why they just want to have one child. On the contrary, some people showed a preference for relaxation of the one-child policy program and were excited to have a second child. Among those who were interviewed showing interest in having a second child, evidence from the passage indicates that despite wanting to have a second child, most of them still showed misgivings complaining about the burden of raising a second child in China's competitive society.

3- Would there be differences between urban and rural populations in deciding to have a second child? Explain (Think economics)

In many regards, there are differences between urban and rural populations in deciding to have a second child. At first glance, many people in urban populations would have a clear impression of embracing a one-child policy program because the economic pressure of raising children in urban populations is very high. The growing concentration of people in urban populations makes the cost of living high. From an economic point of view, the cost of living in urban is much higher as compared to the countryside. Constrained resources such as land make the costs of housing, food, water, and electricity high.

For this reason, many people living in urban populations prefer to have one child. For rural populations, resources are not so much constrained as compared to urban populations. This makes the cost of living more cheaper compared to urban populations. Rural households spend less on food and housing. Largely, this makes the overall cost of living in rural populations much more affordable as compared to urban populations. Because of the differences in cost of living, many eligible couples in rural populations may show preferences in having the second child due to the low cost of living compared to urban populations.

4- Should governments be allowed to put into place rules restricting the reproduction of the population? ? Explain.

I would say no. Reproductive rights are human rights that should not be interfered with by any government. It is wrong to allow a government to formulate rules that dictate how the people should reproduce. Instead, the government should educate their citizens on the importance of either having a big or small population and encouraging them to deliver more children. The people are left to decide for themselves the number of children they would like to have considering their economic and financial capabilities. Families capable of properly taking care of many children should have children in contrast to those who feel a little financially disadvantaged to sire few children they can comfortably raise.

5- Brainstorm a list of ideas about how China’s gender imbalance could become a regional, if not a global issue.

Gender imbalance issues may come to worse

Chan reported that currently, the ratio of China's population of boys to girls in Hainan is 130: 1 or 130 men to 1 woman. This means a gender imbalance has been going on. From the time of Confucius, According to Jeffrey Richey, " Women were at the bottom of the Confucian hierarchy." (https://www.patheos.com/) China, a country which adheres to Confucian teachings, regard much priority to men more than women. High respect and regard were given to men. This means a typical family would wish to have sons rather than daughters. The family would find a way to eliminate in case a daughter is being born. This is the reason why the population of girls decreased over time. The new policy, " China's one-child policy," is predicted to make things worse. A family would only get one chance to bring a son into the family. The family would do all they can to have a son and continue the long-time tradition. As a result, gender imbalance would worsen even more.

Abortion of baby girls is expected to become more rampant

Chan reported that illegal hospitals and clinics in China had been performing an abortion without questioning the parents. With the implementation of "China's one-child policy," abortion of unwanted daughters was expected to increase. The couple wished to have a son rather than a daughter. Although abortion was also discouraged in Confucian teachings, Richey said that it is permitted in cases where the mother's health was endangered. (https://www.patheos.com/) The mother could make an alibi so that she can be allowed to abort an unwanted daughter.

Rise of illegal clinics and medical health workers who perform an abortion

Chan reported that there were existing hospitals and clinics which perform illegal ultrasound and illegal abortion. Illegal ultrasound means the doctor has revealed to the couple the gender of their baby. China has been prohibiting the doctor from disclosing the gender of the baby during the ultrasound. This is to make sure that the mother would pursue her pregnancy and avoid abortion. But some clinics have been performing illegal ultrasounds for $20. When the "China's One child policy " was implemented, a prediction of these underground clinics is expected to rise since the demand is high. The nurse in the documentary also added that they could perform the abortion without questioning the couple with a condition of additional charges. The nurse did not say how much the cost would be, but we can predict that the cost could be higher than usual in the manner of how she said it. No matter the cost, the couple who wanted a son is willing to pay to abort an unwanted daughter.

Competition to find a wife would be tighter

Even today, the competition to find a wife is getting tighter. This is due to the gender imbalance that is occurring in China. In the documentary, Chan revealed that some males in Hainan had embraced singlehood. This is because women in their place would go to the city, find a job and find their husband there. Even the Tian brothers had decided to become bachelors. There is no hope for them to marry now. The competition to find a wife would even worsen as the implementation of "China's one-child policy" takes effect. As a result, wealthy males could go abroad to find a wife. But those who are poor could not find a wife for themselves.

Passion crime would increase

A crime of passion would be if a person shot his ex-wife in a jealous rage because he caught cheating on him with another man. Since there is a predicted rise in competition in finding a wife, crimes related to this are also expected to increase.

6- How has China’s policy impacted families in the United States?

China's one-child policy, which began in 1979, was enshrined in the national constitution in 1982 and was finally abolished in 2015. Over the course of the policy's 36 years, entire generations have been shaped by the state's control over women's reproductive rights.

7- Various ways that China's policy has widened the gender gap in the country.

The one-child policy's legacy is complicated, but its effect on women is undeniable. Child separations and deaths are a source of fear for women and families in One Child Country. Leftover Women depicts the enormous social pressure on young women to marry, have children, and redress the gender imbalance and low birth rate.

The one-child scheme, on the other hand, is not limited to mainland China. Many children adopted from China have been trafficked into orphanages all over the world. Due to gender inequality, women are currently being trafficked from Myanmar to marry Chinese men. The effect of the one-child policy teaches us that when a government restricts a woman's reproductive rights, it is harmful to the rest of the planet.

Women also reaped social gains as the drive for gender equality has accelerated. Many Chinese parents invested little in their daughters because of the conventional preference for a son, but in the absence of brothers, household resources could be focused on daughters. Women currently make up 52% of undergraduate students and 48% of postgraduate students. Low fertility has also increased women's chances of finding well-paying jobs and moving up in their careers. Women make up more than a fifth of CEOs in China's medium and large companies. This progress in gender equality has resulted in better health results for women in their twenties and thirties.

8- How China's policy impacted families in the United States?

In China, elders often hit retirement age without the requisite pension or funds for health care, making sons appear to be a retirement investment. As a result, several families have abandoned female babies in public places in the hopes of finding a family to adopt them. Frequently, the abandoned babies will die. Orphanages will also traffic the baby and place it with affluent families in other countries. In 2012, almost 3,000 Chinese children were adopted in the United States. There is still a national gender gap as a result of the one-child policy and the tradition of male heirs.

In summary, America has benefited greatly from the one-child policy. Indirect benefits include a massive increase of Chinese students in American academic institutions — more than a quarter of a million at last count — as well as 80,000 Chinese adoptees in American households. A tiny but wealthy wave of birth tourists has recently flooded the coffers of American fertility clinics.

The 80,000 adoptees, mainly female children, abandoned when the policy was implemented are perhaps the only "refugees" of the one-child policy that America has accepted with open arms. On the other hand, those children served a reason, as they met a huge demand for safe, no-strings-attached babies. Even after a series of baby-trafficking scandals at Chinese orphanages beginning in 2005, there was a general reluctance to ask whether these children were unwanted. These incidents suggest that some of these children were not simply abandoned but were purchased or confiscated as the supply of adoptable babies became scarce.

The impact of the one-child policy on the United States is also a good reminder that part of America's soft power — a magnet that attracts people from all over the world and enriches the country — is the ability to choose when and how many children they want.

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