In the 1970s, the Chinese leaders declared that, in spite of standard Marxist doctrine relating economic power to large labour force, the huge annual increase in population was a major handicap to economic development.
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The government adopted more rigid policy and commenced a vigorous programme to reduce family size to two children. By 1980, the goal was changed to only one child per family (except for unusual circumstances and for some minority groups).
This goal is being achieved through numerous policies. One policy is to postpone the age of sexual activity. The marriage age is generally over 24 for women and 26 for men and pre-marital sexual relations are uncommon and illegal.
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In China, free contraceptives and abortions are available in clinics throughout the country. From the highest government level down to the smallest rural community, an organizational network exists for implementing the family planning programme.
Privacy is limited; women’s contraceptive and fertility records are pasted at the local health centers so that any deviation from the norm is noticed. Friends and neighbors’ may strongly, and repeatedly, urge compliance with the one-child policy.
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Social and institutional changes have speeded up the decline in fertility. For instance, better health services reduced infant mortality.
More available schooling and the accompanying higher literacy among females were instrumental in reducing birth rates. Also, with the role of women expanding from that of a traditional housewife to include work in a factory or profession, fertility rate declined.
Moreover, the necessity to raise sons for old-age security has diminished. In urban areas, there are retirement pensions for workers. In rural areas, until the early 1980s, the commune guaranteed food, clothing, shelter, medical care and burial.
Under the one-child policy, penalties are assessed against families who have more than one child. These penalties vary with local conditions, but they may include ineligibility for better housing, reduced educational opportunities, delayed food rations, fines, and other economic and social sacrifices.
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Despite all these policies and steps, opposition to the one-child campaign does exist, especially in relatively poor rural areas. Dissatisfaction is reflected in the fact that many couples are having more than one child.
Owing to the one-child policy, China is rapidly moving into the fourth stage of the demographic transition. In contrast to the European experience, this shift is being achieved while still remaining largely rural and agrarian.
China has accomplished this by creating a social climate where people do not see themselves as independent individuals but instead identify with the state.
In effect, the Chinese are practicing birth control for the country. A high degree of political organization, as well as social control, economic incentives and public motivation is a prerequisite for this kind of programme.
The one-child policy of China has its own merits and demerits. It has been appreciated as well as criticized by the leading experts in the field of population studies. The policy is usually justified because of the potentially dire consequences of an increasingly large population.
Although the Chinese agriculture produces high yields per unit area and the standard of living and longevity have improved throughout the country in recent decades, there are worries about the future.
Those who support the one-child policy are of the opinion that continued improvement in standard of living can only be achieved by limiting the size of future population.
The supporters of the policy also argue that since China is having over one-fifth of the world population, the well-being of future population throughout the world will be affected by the decisions made today about the size of the Chinese families.
The supporters of the policy insist that it is flexible enough to allow exemptions, such as in areas where manual labour is important and in regions of minorities (e.g., the Tibetans, Sinkiang, Inner Mongolia and Uighurs).
Despite all these merits, there are many experts, even within China, who disagree with any policy that will greatly diminish the number of adults in the next generation.
According to them, continuous population growth is the key to economic development, which leads to better standard of living, happiness, leisure and increases the life span of the people. In case of low growth of population, the country will suffer from the shortage of workers and military personnel.
The one-child policy has also been criticized because of the possible long-range effects of a 1-2-4 (age structure one child, two parents, and four grandparents). In such an age structure there will be more pampering of child.
There are complaints about the excessive amount of pampering that single child receives from parents and doting grandparents
Sociologists speculate that these pampered children, when they become adults, will alter the Chinese society unfavorably. Moreover, a continuation of the policy will mean that in future the higher percentage of elderly people will depend on a smaller portion of working adults. This will lead to high dependency ratio which the pampered children may not bear
The policy has also been criticized on the ground of individual freedom. Birth statistics by gender in China indicate that female infanticides have occurred in some areas.
These statistics seem to reflect reluctance by some families to abandon the tradition of having several children, especially sons.
An increase in the proportion of elderly persons can affect the future market for various kinds of goods and services, both those sold to young people and those sold to elderly persons. An ageing population also enlarges the dependency ratio which, in turn, can affect financial systems, such as social security programme.
Most countries concerned about population growth are attempting to combine economic development with the provision of family planning services.
The economic development and social change provide the Motivation to have small families. Reducing infant mortality, expanding education systems, broadening the role of women and achieving economic growth all have been important catalysts in changing traditional attitudes towards the family.
Once the motivation is there, family Planning services provide the means for bringing the birth rate down.