Honorable son might be a girl: social effects of China's one-child policy
Wu, D.Y.
Centerviews 2(3): 3
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0746-1402 PMID: 12266550 Document Number: 406792
The population growth of China continues to outpace economic production despite a tremendous decrease in fertility rates in the last decade. The dual goals of modernization and population control now hinge on the success of the government's policy of 1-child families. Limiting couples to 1 child appears to be a simple and effective way of achieving the goal of 1.2 billion population by 2020, but closer examination suggests that success in population control could mean social and cultural problems. Is the "onyl child" raised radically different from the child who grows up with siblings? The predominant view is that child rearinfg in China has become too soft. Based on equal parts of observation abd speculation, the prevailing wisdom contends that the only child runs the risk of becoming a self-centered, demanding, uncooperative, and materialistic adult who lacks self-discipline and has no interest in serving others. Single children appear to have more "bad habits", yet preliminary testing in a few kindergartens shows them to faster learners and intellectually moe mature. By directing their resources and attention on 1 child, parents are better able to provide better nutrition and living conditions. Yet, concentrated parental expectations and pressure to succeed may result in mental health complications for the only child. To counteract the effects of 1-child families and their fostering of individualism, institutional child rearing at the nursery and kindergarten levels is emphasized. However, parents seeing their child only 1 day a week, may overcompensate for the time of separation, teaching the child a double standard concerning school values vs. home values. Future residential arrangements for elderly parents and grandparents will create problems for the only child. Another prevailing problem is the traditional Chinese preference for male children, particularly in rural areas. Discrimination against females has become a serious problem in the countryside, and infanticide of girl babies has been reported in several villages. This causes an imbalance in the male/female ratio that is so prominent in some areas that the number of potential brides is of serious concern.