The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ending the One-Child Policy this month has brought upon the end of an era.
The One-Child Policy was first initiated in 1979 as a measure to control the population growth rate of the country, which was at 1.9% at the time. Although this growth rate does not sound significant, consider this: a growth of 3 percent will result in a doubling of the population in less than 24 years. Now when you consider that the Chinese population was comprised of approximately 970 million in 1979, this 1.9 percent growth rate suddenly becomes a lot more significant. The Chinese government understood the implications of this growth rate and realized that to reduce it, they would have to do something truly radical. The radical action they implemented was the One-Child Policy.
As the name suggests, the One-Child Policy limited each Chinese household to one child. Obviously, people were furious. But, given the circumstances, the government’s actions are understandable. Over the years, the government has also added exceptions to this policy in order to help make it more equitable. Perhaps unexpectedly, the One-Child Policy was hugely successful; the population’s growth rate dropped to about 0.7 percent, which it sits at today. And overall, this population growth rate has been much more controllable; the government has met its end.
However, now another issue has risen. As a natural consequence of the policy, the population of people born after the implementation of the policy is less than that of those born before it; the falling birth rate has led to an increase in elderly people. Eventually this will result in a larger portion of the population being outside of the working age, meaning that there will be a fewer number of people in the working age that will have to support the growing number of elderly dependents. In the long-run, this problem can have hugely adverse implications for the currently booming Chinese economy. Understanding these implications, the Chinese government has decided to officially end the One-Child Policy.
The end of the One-Child Policy may be just as revolutionary as the initial establishment of the policy. This policy has had huge implications for the entire Chinese population. In fact, we can see the implications of this policy in our interactions with the significant population of Chinese students across CC. Even though the change in this policy may not directly affect us instantly, it is definitely worth knowing about it because of the huge implications it may have on our peers. In the long run, the increased growth rate in China will definitely increase the amount of resources needed to sustain the population. This could mean an increase in the amount of coal, China’s primary source of energy, consumed by the Chinese. This will most definitely result in an increase in the rate at which our atmosphere heats up. When considering this, it is abundantly clear that this policy will impact all of us in the long run.
After the abolishment of the One-Child Policy, the government has established a new policy which allows for married couples to have two children (it still does not give them complete freedom over the number of children they want to have). Whether or not the government will call this new policy the “Two-Child Policy” remains shrouded in mystery. However, I believe that it’s definitely not as catchy the glorious “One-Child Policy!”
Pranit Garg
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