Chinese Population Issues, Conclusion

The one-child policy must be abandoned. It has prolonged the negative views towards women that have contributed to the sex-ratio imbalance. It violates the rights of parents on a profound level and usurps the natural right inherent to parents. The government can pursue methods and attitudes that will capture the collective thought process of the Chinese people and encourage responsible family growth so the country will not have to face a population explosion. Evidence already shows a preference for small families (4), and as the country grows in wealth and education, this preference will likely continue. Chinese culture is changing to reflect the economic gains made during the last twenty-five years, and more freedoms in other areas of life will make continued application of the one-child policy increasingly difficult. The government should recognize this social movement and phase out the policy, and replace it with a large-scale public health education program that places the responsibility back in the hands of the parents. There is evidence of relaxation of some aspects of the policy that have been welcomed by couples, and reduced the tensions between the people and government officials (4). The Chinese government has many larger issues to deal with at this point in history. Unprecedented foreign investment and trade have placed enormous sums of capital into the Chinese economy. Bigger issues such as rural poverty, environmental degradation, failing state-owned enterprises, international political tensions, and internal political pressures should take precedence on the government’s list of priorities. Chinese civilization is on the cusp of a sweeping renaissance that properly nurtured by forward thinking policy decisions can bring about major advancements in society, industry and technology to the Chinese people and to the world. China must continue to sustain the very strength that has brought them to where they are today; the vast numbers of Chinese citizens that “are born not only with mouths that need to be fed, but also with hands that can produce, and minds that can create and innovate."(5).



Works Cited

1. "Malthusian Mythology and Chinese Reality: The Population History of One Quarter of Humanity, 1700-2000 - Shorenstein Reports - Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley." Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley. 30 Nov. 2007 http://ieas.berkeley.edu/shorenstein/1998.05.html.

2. "Chinese Ancestor Worship - ReligionFacts." Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world's religions.. 30 Nov. 2007.
www.religionfacts.com/chinese_religion/practices/ancestor_worship.htm

3. "Shortage of girls in China today." Encyclopedia.com - FREE online Encyclopedias and Dictionaries. 30 Nov. 2007
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-.

4. "NEJM -- The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years." The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on Diseases. 30 Nov. 2007 http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/353/11/1171

5. "The Population Question." Catholic Conservation Center. 30 Nov. 2007 .
http://conservation.catholic.org/the_population_question.htm