Chinese Population Issues, Part 3

According to the study by Professors Lee and Wang, there is a history of infanticide practiced by Chinese parents dating back to the second and third millennia, BC. The study indicated the primary reason for the sex-ratio imbalance is the preference for male offspring, which originated with ancestral worship during the aforementioned time frame. Ancestor worship is “a ritual practice that is based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living.” (2). This reason along with the Confucian value system that almost always places the male above the female in most aspects of society (3) has produced an environment where infant girls are viewed as nonessential, if not a burden to some parents. These factors have historically organically manifested themselves in Chinese society and continue today under the government controlled one-child policy. Urban families who subscribe to male preference are under pressure to have a boy; since they are only allowed one child they do not want a girl. Rural parents are usually allowed a second child, especially if the first child is a girl (4). Although actual statistics are unobtainable, infanticide by the family is believed to be rare in China today, however it has been replaced with sex-selective abortion carried out by private practitioners (4).

Another major shift occurring in Chinese demographics is the rapid aging of the population. This dilemma has been caused by a decrease in the birth rate in tandem with stabilizing life expectancy. Those age sixty-five and older composed 7.5% of the population in 2006, and is expected to rise to 15% by the year 2025 (4). This is a large concern because most Chinese workers have no pension plan to support them in old age, and a smaller family unit to provide for them, due to the reduced birthrate.