The one child policy instituted in China in 1979 aimed to control population growth through encouraging urban families to only have one child and imposing penalties for additional children. While largely ignored in rural areas, it created strong pressure in cities and led to issues like forced abortions and sterilizations. Exceptions existed but mostly maintained zero population growth. The policy disproportionately impacted females through sex-selective abortion and abandonment of girls. It reduced China's population but is criticized for its methods and lack of representation of the people's will.

1. Imagine having your reproductive rights, and the ability to choose your family size dictated by a
government. This is exactly what China did in 1979, when they adopted the one child policy. Especially in
urban areas of China, the government encourages families to have one child only, exerting pressure on
couples who have more than one, offering free abortions, and levying fines against people who choose to
have more than one child. The one child policy has been largely ignored by most residents in rural areas
of China, and in truth is not regularly enforced. Yet in cities where the immense population of China is
overwhelmingly felt, strong pressure exists for families to not have more than a single child.
Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, first instituted the one child policy and initially this stringent population
control was instituted as a temporary measure only. It has been renewed every five years, and is
beginning to meet resistance. In 2007, riots broke out in the Guangxi Province, because government
officials there reportedly were forcing pregnant women to undergo abortions if they were having an
“illegal” child. There have also been allegations throughout the years of women being forcibly sterilized in
order to keep the population stable.
There are exceptions to the one child policy. People who are now marrying and have no siblings can seek
permission from the government to have two children, maintaining the zero growth population standards
China sought. Further, typically China does not enforce the policy with any regularity in rural areas. To do
so might cause further uprisings and issues that China doesn’t wish to face. This means, that the one
child policy has brought China’s population down, but still remains at zero population level, with an
average of two children per couple.
The effects of this policy have had implications for female children in China. From a traditional standpoint,
long predating communism, girl children are not as valuable as boys. Since there are now methods of
predetermining gender prior to giving birth, women who are pregnant with girls are more likely to abort
them. Another problem of epidemic proportions is the abandonment of girls to orphanages. The one
child policy makes it relatively easy for people outside of China to adopt Chinese girl babies and children.
Only about a fifth of the children in orphanages are boys. High rates of infanticide also exist for girl babies
born in urban areas.
The one child policy has further led to a disproportionate number of males to females. There are
approximately 115 males to every 100 females born since the policy laws were enacted. The normal ratio
worldwide is about 105 to 100. Though reducing the population rate in China is a laudable goal
considering its overpopulation, other governments and many humanitarian organizations have long
criticized this particular policy. It doesn't seem to represent the will of the people in China, and perhaps in
the future may be abandoned, after the extension of this policy expires in 2010