Definition
The one-child policy, a part of the family planning policy, was a population planning policy of China. It was introduced in 1979 and began to be formally phased out near the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016. The policy allowed exceptions for many groups, including ethnic minorities. Provincial governments imposed fines for violations, and the local and national governments created commissions to raise awareness and carry out registration and inspection work.
One-Child Policy
What was the ‘One-Child Policy’
The one-child policy was a policy implemented by the Chinese government as a method of controlling the population. The one-child policy was introduced in 1979 in response to an explosive population growth, and mandated that couples from China’s Han majority could only have one child. This was intended to alleviate the social, economic and environmental problems associated with the country’s rapidly growing population.
Explaining ‘One-Child Policy’
Families can be fined thousands of dollars for having more than one child. Those who volunteer to have just one child are awarded a “Certificate of Honor for Single-Child Parents.” It has been estimated that since 1979, the law has prevented approximately 250 million births. In certain cases, families can apply to have a second child for extenuating circumstances such as the death of the only child due to a natural disaster. In rural areas, families can apply to have a second child if the first child is a girl, or if the child has a physical or mental disability. (For more, see Benefits of China Changing It’s One Child Policy.)
Further Reading
- China's one-child policy: the economic choices and consequences faced by pregnant women – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
- Losing an only child: the one-child policy and elderly care in China – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
- One-child policy and family firms in China – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
- Can China afford to continue its one-child policy? – scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu [PDF]
- Little emperors: behavioral impacts of China's One-Child Policy – science.sciencemag.org [PDF]
- Investing in the future: The one child policy and reform – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
- The evolution of China's one-child policy and its effects on family outcomes – www.aeaweb.org [PDF]
- Family size and maternal health: evidence from the One-Child policy in China – link.springer.com [PDF]
- Population, policy, and politics: how will history judge China's one-child policy? – www.jstor.org [PDF]
- The effects of China's universal two-child policy – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
