In 1973, after decades of encouragement to have multiple children, the Chinese government told its people that population growth was a danger and that each family should have only one child. Since then, the policy has, for the most part, been stringently enforced throughout the country. Chinese women have reported being forced to abort a pregnancy or to be sterilized. The one child policy has significant impact on China's population, as well as society. .
This policy really controls the population growth in China. The birth rate is declining from 16.03?in 1998 to 13.38?in 2001. And the natural growth rate also declines from 9.53?in 1998 to 6.95?in 2001. The population in China is in the close watch of Chinese PRC government and has significant result. .
With the great performance of controlling population growth, it has also bring some foreseeable problems. Firstly, it will greatly change the sex ratio. It is because given the longstanding preference for boy babies in China, the one-child policy has made female infanticide common, it decreases the number of female in China and makes the population imbalance, the girls to boys ration in China is 1:1.17 , while the international level is 1:1.05. It will bring many social and moral problems. .
The policy makes the discrimination to girls more serious. Since traditionally Chinese prefers boys to girls because the Chinese think that girls will get married and take care husbands?families and may not be seen anymore, but boys can take care the parents in their old ages and inherent properties, so this rule has caused a disdain for female infants; abortion, neglect, abandonment, and even infanticide have been known to occur to female infants. Moreover, girls are usually not subject to education. .
The policy also causes the disparities between rural and urban areas. Usually rural areas are agricultural area, since the farming method in China remains primitive, it relies on many labour to do the field work, this policy greatly reduces the man power of agricultural activities, hence, reduces the crop productivity.
