About 2 weeks ago, China ended their One Child Policy which had lasted 35 years, being introduced in 1980. However, if given the option to have two kids, many couples decide to stick with one. The policy has created a population with more boys than girls; pregnant women would have an abortion if the fetus is a girl. Many parents still prefer boys over girls because in China, boys carry the family name and take care of the elders. China created the One Child Policy because they were worried about population growth since they are the most populated country in the world and thanks to health improvement, people are living longer.
Currently the majority of China's population is young but tens of millions of men can not find women to marry because there are about 62 million less women and girls. Sex selection has been linked to population control and ever since abortion and the One Child Policy were introduced, parents kept having babies until they had a son. The removal of the policy won't cause a baby boom because there will be fewer children after the abortions of females lead to the lack of potential mothers. Because of the shortage of women to marry, there has been an increase in sex-trafficking and bride-buying. Even in 2050, men will still have trouble finding a bride because since China's birth rate is so low that there are very few women and it's not going to change anytime soon.
I have always known that there are more boys than girls in China because of the One Child Policy and every couple preferred a son over a daughter, but I didn't know the difference was that big. It bothers me that people are only concerned about the lack of females when there is not enough women for men to marry. No one cared about the huge gender difference because the only thing they cared about was wanting to have a son. It's time that women should be respected by society not just in China, but the whole world. Treasuring and appreciating girls can help China get their economy back on track.
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-s-new-birth-rule-can-t-restore-missing-women-and-fix-a-population/
Article by Mara Hvistendahl
Currently the majority of China's population is young but tens of millions of men can not find women to marry because there are about 62 million less women and girls. Sex selection has been linked to population control and ever since abortion and the One Child Policy were introduced, parents kept having babies until they had a son. The removal of the policy won't cause a baby boom because there will be fewer children after the abortions of females lead to the lack of potential mothers. Because of the shortage of women to marry, there has been an increase in sex-trafficking and bride-buying. Even in 2050, men will still have trouble finding a bride because since China's birth rate is so low that there are very few women and it's not going to change anytime soon.
I have always known that there are more boys than girls in China because of the One Child Policy and every couple preferred a son over a daughter, but I didn't know the difference was that big. It bothers me that people are only concerned about the lack of females when there is not enough women for men to marry. No one cared about the huge gender difference because the only thing they cared about was wanting to have a son. It's time that women should be respected by society not just in China, but the whole world. Treasuring and appreciating girls can help China get their economy back on track.
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-s-new-birth-rule-can-t-restore-missing-women-and-fix-a-population/
Article by Mara Hvistendahl