THE China currently has the largest population on the planet, with more than 1.3 billion people. This means that, in proportional terms, for every 7 people on the planet, one is Chinese, which represents, for the government, a historical problem related to overcrowding. Given this scenario, a question arises: how to contain an even higher population growth in the country?
the one-child policy
Because of this concern, the government adopted a severe demographic control in China from the 1970s onwards called the one-child policy. Under this law, each couple could have only one child, so the generation of a second child could entail severe penalties from the state, including the payment of a fine.
It is estimated that this control of the Chinese population has been responsible for preventing an increase of 400 million people in the country over the last 25 years. However, this model was heavily criticized at the international level. The main one involves a series of accusations against the Chinese government, which is allegedly violating the rights by forcibly suppressing the second child of couples through infanticide, abortion and sterilization forced. A documentary recorded by the BBC of London – called
China, the rooms of death – also features a denunciation board with strong images allegedly recorded in Chinese orphanages where baby girls were abandoned and killed.There are, however, some exceptions that apply to China's one-child policy. In rural areas, for example, the second child of a couple is often allowed, especially when the first is a woman. This is because the country considers that the countryside, above all, needs to supply with its workforce the food needs of the entire population of the country. Some ethnic groups, such as Tibetans, also have exceptions to the country's one-child policy.
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Falling population growth and population aging
Chinese population growth has been slowing down considerably. So much so that India, the second most populous country in the world, with more than a billion people, is expected to overtake China in terms of population in the coming decades, unless that country also adopts strict control laws. populational.
On the other hand, the Chinese government has been facing demographic problems resulting from the slowdown in the country's vegetative growth. The first one is the demographic bomb of aging, which would result from the increase in the proportion of the number of elderly people, which leads to serious social security imbalances. This problem, currently experienced in Europe and Japan, would be felt more severely in China, which is still at a level of underdevelopment, with many social problems.
For this reason, the government, in recent years, has made the one-child policy more flexible to contain the problem of population-ageing in China. After all, it is estimated that the proportion of workers and retirees will fall from 5 to 1 to 2 to 1 by the year 2030 if no action is taken. In addition to the problems with social security, the country should also suffer from the drop in labor (one of the main current attractions of the country for foreign investments) and the consequent drop in consumption, bringing the prospect of a slowdown in GDP growth (Domestic Product Gross).
Despite this scenario, current changes are still shy, with the permission of a second child for couples who so desire. Furthermore, many demographic analysts have pointed out that Chinese families themselves (especially those with better living conditions) are refusing to have this second child. If this continues, the Chinese government, contradictorily, must encourage population growth in order to prevent its population from aging too much in the coming decades.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena