Introduction
China is emerging as a global leader due to its impressive economic and military progress. As the country becomes more engaged with the international community, the government is implementing some social and economic reforms. One highly debated issue in modern China is the one-child policy. This policy was implemented in 1979 by the government in a bid to control the burgeoning population. When proposing the policy, the government felt that drastic measures were needed to control the population of the country. It, therefore, implemented the policy where each couple was only allowed to have a single child. Some people feel that the government should relax this policy and allow its citizens to choose the number of children they want to have. This paper argues that China should not relax its one-child policy.
Why the Policy should not be Relaxed
The government should not relax the policy since it assists in protecting the environment. An uncontrolled increase in the human population has a negative impact on the environment. Overpopulation leads to problems such as pollution, deforestation, reduction of natural habitats, and depletion of natural resources. Without governmental control of the population, it is likely that China will suffer from overpopulation in the near future. The unsustainable population growth will lead to catastrophic outcomes for the environment. The environment is already being pressured by the current Chinese population. It is the responsibility of the government to prevent further damage to the environment by strictly enforcing the one-child policy.
China is already the country with the largest population on earth, and the country will be unable to sustain more people if the one-child policy is relaxed. The Chinese government implemented the policy in the late 1970s to address the problem of rapid population growth. The government was concerned that it would not be able to provide for its citizens if the population growth rate went on unchecked. This situation has not changed, and the government still faces significant challenges in providing services to its citizens. If the policy is relaxed, the population increase will be unsustainable, making it impossible for China to take care of its citizens.
Finally, China should not relax the policy since it will affect the balance between males and females in the country by increasing the number of men. Male children are preferred by many families in China. With the one-child policy, the family has to be content with whichever gender the first child is. If the policy is relaxed, most families are likely to try and get more male children. Families with more male children than female children are likely to appear. This will lead to a gender imbalance in the country. The men will have a problem finding women to marry in the future due to the gender imbalance. Strict enforcement of the one-child policy is, therefore, necessary to prevent this undesirable outcome.
Conclusion
Population control continues to be an important issue in the world today. This paper set out to argue that China should not relax its one-child policy. It began by discussing the context within which this policy was implemented. The paper has shown that the policy is still needed today. The policy will help prevent environmental issues that are caused by overpopulation. In addition to this, the one-child policy will ensure that the government is able to provide for its citizens. The country will also avoid developing gender imbalances if the policy is strictly enforced. Considering the many significant benefits of the one-child policy, the Chinese government should not relax the policy.