What did China's one child policy involve?

Answer 1

The One-Child Policy restricts families to 1 child each, with a few exceptions, and the consequences for having a child without a birth permit vary by province. The policy was originally termed a temporary "last resort" that would last 20-30 years in order to relieve the lack of resources to the Chinese population. China's one child family policy, which was first announced in 1979, has remained in place despite the extraordinary political and social changes that have occurred over the past two decades. It emerged from the belief that development would be compromised by rapid population growth and that the sheer size of China's population together with its young age structure presented a unique challenge.

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Though many outside of China are under the impression that the one child policy applies to all Chinese citizens, this is not true. In fact, there are a number of exceptions, and the legislation applies to only about 35 percent of citizens, as it only applies to married, urban, ethnically Han couples. Ethnic minorities, those in rural areas, and parents without siblings themselves can all have more than one child without paying a fine, as can those who have a severely disabled child or one that dies. In some circumstances, exceptions are also made for those who lose their children to natural disasters.

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China's one child policy is a government-dictated limitation on the number of children certain groups of people in China can have without paying a fine. More correctly termed the "family planning policy," it is often misunderstood as forcing all families to only have one child or face serious consequences. In reality, it has many exceptions, and enforcement is lax in some areas. Regardless, it remains controversial, as it is seen as a restriction of reproductive rights, and does sometimes lead to abuses of illegally-born children.