After 35 years, China is all set to revise its draconian family planning rules by ending its one-child policy. The reason? It is a wake up call to an ageing population in the country and gender imbalance.
The announcement of the new policy was followed by a four-day Communist party summit in Beijing where the country’s top leaders debated financial reforms.
The controversial one-child policy was introduced in 1979 in order to slow down China’s immensely growing population. It is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births, reports BBC.com. Moreover, the couples who violated the policy faced stringent punishments, ranging from exorbitant fines, loss of employment as well as forced abortions.
While the move was celebrated by some by calling it positive in terms of personal freedom, the Communist party continued to debate about it. Critics say that even a two-child policy will not boost the birth rate enough in the country for a healthy number.
Some of the highlights of China’s one-child policy:
- Introduced in 1979, the policy meant that the citizens cannot not have a second child without incurring a fine
- In rural areas, however, the families were allowed to have two children if the first child was a girl
- Other exceptions to the rule were ethnic minorities in the country
- The draconian policy led to abortions, infanticide, and lesser female births, leading to gender imbalance
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Republished with permission from: theIndusparent.