China Sees Increase in Families Mourning the Loss of their Only Child: The “One Child” Policy Hits Hard
Regardless of the society in which one lives, the loss of a child to a tragic accident or illness creates can be devastating. In China in particular, such incidents are creating serious social problems, and it all has to do with the one child per family policy that was introduced in the late 70s.
The term “lost child households” has become widely used in China as the number of families that have lost their one and only offspring is on the rise. The loss of any child, regardless of the number of surviving siblings, is of course a horrendous experience for any family to endure, but in houses where all of the parents’ love, hopes and expectations are invested in just one child, their untimely death is understandably crippling. Couples suffering from the unfortunate loss of their child are now, on average, in their 50s; often all alone and without a bearing on how to pick up the pieces. In the near future, the amount of households experiencing this phenomenon is set to reach a staggering 10 million. The situation brings with it not just mental anguish but also the unavoidably large problem of just who will bear the burden of nursing the aged.
China established the “one child policy” in 1979 and was brought about in part by a female laborer from Tianjin. She proclaimed that bringing up her only baby girl was more than enough and that “I don’t need a boy.” This saw the Chinese government introducing the restriction on child birth, and in 1980 marriage laws were even altered in a way so as to encourage later marriage and child birth. It was thought that by encouraging marriage in later life, the birth rate could also be reduced.
Now more than 30 years on, regions across China have seen policy enforced less stringently. However, when it comes to China’s cities, the situation remains very much unchanged. The policy is still thought to be necessary in what are admittedly densely populated areas of China. Nevertheless, although it has the benefit of bringing the population growth rate under control and thus improving the standard of living for many, it also has the undesirable side effect of creating some rather serious problems.
The main issue at hand here is that of the extreme imbalance in the male and female population, brought about by a rise in abortion rates of females. Additionally, the number of couples not registering their child due to it not being the desired sex is also prevalent. Pampering one’s child too much is also creating concerns. The result of which is the increasing number of “mothered” adults who lack social common sense and the ability to co-operate with those around them.
According to Chinese authorities, the number of households mourning the loss of their only child is increasing each year by 76,000. On the basis that the parents are in good health, the amount of couples estimated to go through the same experience in the future is an astounding 20 million.
Putting all of this into perspective, many couples can be seen to have loyally adhered to the Chinese government’s regime of putting off having a second child, only to lose the one child they loved so dearly.
In an example given in the recent survey, one Chinese couple wanted to give their child the best start in life by sending them off on a study abroad program to America. However, whilst abroad, the child was killed in a road accident. It is precisely during the Chinese New Year that the family finds the loss the most biting. They comment:
“It is at this time that neighbors are preparing for the homecoming of their children and busy shopping and getting ready. Year after year, all we can do is sit at home motionless.”
Returning to the problem of just who will look after these bereaved couples during old age, the Chinese government has begun to treat the issue more seriously and is now considering a counter-plan.
However, it remains unclear whether an effective plan will come into existence. The reason for this is that the Chinese government still remains hesitant about whether to withdraw the one child per household restriction or not; on the one hand decreasing birth rates continue to rise and the aging population is a problem, but an increase in population is just too much of a fear for the government to ignore. It looks like this particular type of family devastation could be around for some time unless attitudes about what is important are not reassessed. Needless to say an appeal to withdraw the “one child per family” restriction is being pushed more and more by many Chinese citizens concerned about what the future has in store for them.
Source: Sankei News (Japanese)
Header image: charity.gov.cn
Inset image: image.s1979.com, news.xinhuanet.com
No comments:
Post a Comment