China is the most populated country in the world with a total of 1.4 billion people, and the population is still growing. (WDI) Overpopulation is a current issue that many countries are dealing with and hope to gain control over. In China the previous leader Mao believed that a strong nation had a large population, but China has doubled its population since then. Now the country is being prevented from advancing due to the effects of a large population. The effects of human overpopulation are global warming, deforestation, depletion of natural resources, starvation, and unhygienic living conditions. Without change, the effects of overpopulation will hinder the growth of the nation.
The One-Child Policy was created to control the overpopulation dilemma. It refers to the limitation that restricts urban families into only having one child. There are exceptions to this rule such as rural couples and ethnic minorities. Couples can be fined thousands of dollars for having a supernumerary child without any permit, yet those who wait to have children or only have one are rewarded with special benefits. Campaign ads promote the policy; the ads show happy couples with one child and usually have a pro population reduction undertone, “Up agricultural production, down population increase, "(Nova). This quote is trying to inform the public that living conditions will improve if everyone cuts down on having children. The policy is also promoted through radio, television ads, and print media. The One-Child Policy has slowed down the rapid population growth in China but has produced some undesirable effects that will only get worse.
The Chinese traditional culture has a long tradition of son preference. The reasoning is that they financially support the family, the brides become primarily part of the groom’s family, and sons are also more helpful working the farm. The practice of female infanticide was a common practice before 1949, but this
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