China National Fertility Policies Flashcards
(40 cards)
What is the population of China compared to the United States?
China’s population is five times greater than that of the United States.
What percentage of China’s population lives on less than 10% of its land area?
About 90%.
What was China’s total population in 1949?
Just over 500 million.
What was the life expectancy in China in 1949?
40 years.
What is China’s estimated population nearly 70 years after 1949?
1.2 billion.
What was the overriding aim of the new communist regime in 1949?
To improve the economic and military situation within the country.
What major event did China launch in 1958 to increase agricultural and industrial production?
The Great Leap Forward.
What was the average total fertility rate in China during the 1950s?
About six children per woman.
What catastrophic event occurred as a result of the Great Leap Forward?
One of the worst famines ever recorded.
How many deaths were estimated during the famine from 1958-1961?
Close to 30 million.
What was the birth rate fall during the famine period?
30-35%.
What significant health improvements were made in China after the famine?
Improved health care provision and vaccinations were made available.
What policy did the Chinese government implement in the 1960s and 70s to reduce fertility rates?
The ‘later, longer, fewer’ policy.
What were the main strategies of the ‘later, longer, fewer’ policy?
Encouraging later marriage, longer intervals between births, and smaller families.
Were the early anti-natalist policies in China coercive?
Largely non-coercive.
What was the effect of the anti-natalist policies in urban areas during the 1970s?
Some successes, but overall effect was negligible.
By the late 1970s, how many children were couples discouraged from having?
More than one child.
What was the main objective of the one-child policy introduced in China?
To control population numbers to 1.2 billion by 2000
The policy aimed to manage the rapid population growth and was strictly enforced from 1979 until December 2015.
In which year was the one-child policy introduced?
1979
The policy remained in place until December 2015.
What were the main enforcement mechanisms of the one-child policy?
Rewards and punishments
Rewards included educational opportunities and healthcare, while punishments included fines and forced abortions.
What were ‘granny police’ in the context of the one-child policy?
Older women in the community who were members of the Communist Party of China
They monitored family life and reported non-compliance with the policy.
What was a notable effect of the one-child policy on the demographic structure of China?
Gender imbalance
The normal male/female ratio is 105 males for every 100 females, but in 2000, China’s ratio was 120 males for every 100 females.
What is the estimated number of ‘leftover men’ in China by 2020 due to the gender imbalance?
24 million
This imbalance has led to various social issues, including trafficking and prostitution.
What is the 4-2-1 problem in the context of China’s aging population?
A newly married couple could potentially care for four sets of grandparents and two sets of parents
This reflects the increasing burden on fewer young people as life expectancy rises.
