One child policy in china and its impact on women essay

Introduction

The one child policy in China caused many aspects relating to gender parity. This is reflected on the composition and structure of the population in china. The introduction of the one-child policy in 1978 in china contributed to numerous effects on the female population. The problems relating to high sex ratios in the population of china are mainly as a result of the one-child policy in china. The impact of the one child-policy in China made it an issue of concern due to the harmful effects on the lives of women in the society in a number of ways. This policy is associated with the problems relating to health and mental effects to the women due to the impact of this policy of the one-child in China. The aspects relating to abortion, infanticides and human trafficking are some of the issues relating to the one-child policy on the women in China. The notion and superiority of the male children in China also made women go through lot of challenges as they try to have the male children leading to many health and psychological problems. The impact of one-child policy on women status in China is a matter of concern due to the general effects on the whole society of China.
The introduction of the one child policy in China led to many problems relating to the adoption and abandonment of the female children in China. The social pressure resulting from the one child policy made most of the parents abandon unwanted children in China. The children affected greatly by the issue of abandoning children are girls since they are neglected in China compared to the boys. The abandonment of the girl child, therefore, lead to a lot of problems especially in the 1980s and 1990s in china because girls were left on the streets. Many girls were reported to be missing in 1980s and the 1990s, in China since they were abandoned by their parents in order to avoid the legal implications by the government of China. The one child policy also made the parents fail to report the birth of their girl children as they wait to get a boy child in a family. Most of the girls were, therefore, not registered with the government of China . The failure to register the female children with the government led to inaccessibility to education and health facilities. Women were, therefore, subjected to circumstances of poor health and lack of education in China due to such a one-child policy. This policy also made the parents offer their girl children for either informal or formal adoption in china subjecting girls or the female child to the many challenges and problems in their lives. Most of the adopted children adopted since 1980s were girls in China (Standen 26). The need for the boy children by most of the couples in China made the girl child be abandoned and adopted in China. The cases of abandonment and adoption of the girls by the couples in China led to a negative impact on the female population in China. This practices subjecting the female population to very tough challenge inaccessibility to education since most of them are hidden from the authorities and the government officials. The one child policy, therefore, led to the torture and challenges to the girls or female population in china. The one child policy also denies the girls an opportunity to access parental care when they are abandoned or offered for adoption by their parents.
The one child policy in china also led to cases of infanticides in order to eliminate the unwanted children by the parents. The reports by the US department and the human rights organizations show that infanticides and killing of children through selected abortions account for about a 100 million cases of missing girls in China. This contributed to the death of many girls in the population of china. The unwanted girl children in China are aborted and neglected in China by their parents leading to matters of death (Benson 82). The one child policy, therefore, contributed to the murder off many of the girl children during 1980s and 1990s in order to secure chances of getting the boys by the couples in China. The one child policy in China, therefore, led to many cases of death of the unwanted children through selected abortions and killing of the girl children in order to avoid the legal implications from the authorities. Research shows that, in 1979, the 90 percent of the abortions were of female fetuses. The killing of the girl child led to a general decline in the population and welfare of the women in the population of china. It was reported that 500 000 girls were missing in the 1980s due to the one child policy in China. The decline in the population of women led to a decline in the youthful population forcing the government of China to reduce the strictness and severity of the one child policy in China. The cases of abortion also led to the death of many women as well as many health problems as a result of abortions. The negative effect on the health of most women in China decreased the ability to conceive children after abortion of the girl children. This is associated with mental stress and torture on women in China.
In the context of education, the one child policy in China helped to improve the status of women in the society. The policy enabled the girl child to have access to education and wealth from their parents of which it could be difficult for the girls to achieve if they had brothers. This policy also made the government invest heavily on education projects leading to the education of the girls against the cultural aspects of China. It is evident that the ratio of female to male students in the institutions increased considerably. This policy forced the parents to provide quality education to the female children since they are the only children in their families. The provision of education t the girls through the one-child policy helped in improving the general status of women in China in the social, economic and political aspects of life. Research shows that the one child policy accelerated the number of the female population in the schools leading to gender equality through education of the girl child in China. The number of women or female students increased a lot in China making the levels of education equal among genders in China. This, therefore, played a significant role in uplifting the status of women in China in relation to political, social and economic affairs.
The one child policy also caused a lot of suffering on mothers. The aspects of killing and abortion of the female children left negative effects on the minds of the mothers in China. The women also engaged in medical operations in order to get twins as a way of having more than one child since the multiple births was not illegal. This use of medicine to induce twins also had side effects on the lives of the women. They suffered from mental stress due to such acts of inhumanity that they went through. Most of the mothers suffered in silence due to the conditions they go through when are forced to undergo abortion. The killing of the newly born babies also caused mental problems in the lives of many women in China as a result of stress and psychological torture. Most of the women also suffered from health problems like failure to reconceive after going through an abortion. The health effects deteriorates the health of women in the long run leading to poor living conditions in their lives. The women were also forced to undergo chemical operations in order to have the by child. This has negative effects on the health of women in the long-term. Women, therefore, suffer heavily from such medical operations. This policy led to cases like removal of wombs of the women in order to survive the operations they go through. The number of women fitted with birth control devices was about 286 million between a period of 1980 and 2009. These statistics shows that most of the women fitted with such devices suffered from many side effects on their health.
The one child policy led to a decline in the number of the female population. The lower number of women compared to the male surplus in china attributed highly to the one child policy. In the year 2007, the sex ratio in China was about 114 male for every 100 female people in the population of China. The shortage of women in China led to cases of trafficking of the female children in order to keep them as wives due to the high demand for wives in China. This is, therefore, a threat to the female population since they are trafficked and sold for money once they reach the adolescence stage. The cases of female trafficking in China are on the increase in China due to the high male to female ratio or disparity in China.
In conclusion, the one child policy in China had a huge impact on the status of women in China. The policy led to decline in the number of women due to the preference of the boy child in China. This policy also led to painful experiences on women as they undergo cases of operations and abortions in order to eliminate the girl child for the sake of the boy child. The shortage of women led to the cases of girl child trafficking due the competition for wives in the current population of China. The aspects of abortion and abandonment of the girl child in China led to dangerous health effects on the lives of women in China. The impact of one child policy on the status of women is an issue of concern due to the problems and negative effects associated with this policy in China. The aspects relating to the girl child trafficking and high male to female ratio should be addressed in order to prevent further harm on the women of China. The one child policy should, therefore, be adjusted in order to improve the welfare of women in China.

Works Cited

Benson, Linda. China Since 1949. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Print.
Standen, Naomi. Demystifying China: New Understandings of Chinese History. N. p., 2013. Print.