Thoughts on the Open of One-Child Policy, Gender Discrimination, and Abortion in China

04-26

The One-Child policy, since its introduction in 1979, has put constraints on the majority of Chinese families. Most families went from having three or more children in the previous generation to suddenly only having one. Whether this policy was beneficial to the the country socially and economically is still up to debate, and this article will not go into details about them. Nonetheless, it is needless to say that such policy has changed the social and familial structures of China tremendously. Like many other cultures, the traditional Chinese culture values men over women for their strength and other capabilities. Such notion still persists till the present day, although countless women have proven their abilities in both professional and personal fields. A surprisingly high number of people, especially people from older generations, still believe that it is necessary for a family to have a son, so to carry the family name and honor. This wish is not guaranteed by the One-Child policy. Since one couple was only allowed to have one child, there is a 50% chance that the child is going to be a girl. Many couples, therefore, used ultrasound to detect the gender of the fetus and chose to abort the child if it turns out to be a girl. This sex-selective abortion proved to be a huge issue for the society. While the number of newborn girls decreased, the number of baby boys soared. The gender ratio became increasingly unbalanced with 119:100 in some provinces. The government, therefore, banned the detection of baby gender in the late 1990s. However, the notion of depreciating women remained a problem.

In 2015, the One-Child policy was finally loosened so that each couple is allowed to have two children if they wish. This left many families with an only-child in a dilemma. For some families, their children have grown passed adulthood and are living a life of their own or are away for college. The parents wish to have another child to relieve the loneliness that suddenly overshadows them. The mother, however, is usually passed the best age for pregnancy and this leads to health problems for the mother as well as the newborn. According to CNN, a woman aged over 45 has a 50% chance of miscarriage, she is more prone to high blood pressure during pregnancy and has a higher chance of getting diabetes through pregnancy.On the other hand, the child is also more likely to suffer from genetic diseases like down syndrome. Also, because many mid-life pregnancy require C-section, the child delivered in that way is also likely to have weaker immune system and lower intelligence competence among other defects.

Besides from all the health risks that can occur, the mother and the whole family』s social and familial dynamic can and will be changed by the new baby. Even though in a traditional Chinese family, the caring of a child is divided between grandparents, parents and even aunt and uncles, the mother is the one who is ultimately responsible for the well-being of the child. Most women by the age of 40 already have a stable career, long-lasting friend group, and other social responsibilities. So are the mothers to give up their professional pursuits, personal interests and enjoyment to devote themselves back into raising their second children, after they have done so for the first one 20 years ago? Even then, women in their forties do not have the same energy to deal with the child as they did when they were twenty. Some may argue that other family members can help out and spare the burden of the mother, but how hard is it to see your own child growing up under someone else』s roof and not being able to give them the amount of love they need? The presence of a mother is essential for the development of the child, and it is totally irresponsible for parents to have children while knowing that they could not care for them.

Things are even more complicated when the family is trying to have a second child because the first child wasn』t a boy. Besides from all the health and developmental issues mentioned above, the newborn, the older girl, as well as the whole family are likely to suffer psychologically. In this case, the mother may not be the one who wants to have the child, instead, she did so under family pressure. Two scenarios could happen from this point. If the newborn is a boy, then of course the whole family rejoice. The boy is cared for by everyone in the family and becomes the center of attention. Then how about the boys older sister? If the girl is home, she will probably become the babysitter for her little brother, deprived of her play time and even lose attention from her family. Who is there to care about the girl then? Who is there to ask her how her day was, if she was happy, or what she wants to do? This can create serious psychological issues and family tension. If the girl is old enough to go away for college or even start a life of her own, she becomes even more neglected. Moreover, because of the frequent absence, the older sibling and the newborn will not form a close connection. This connection is crucial for the acceptance between the first child and the newborn. If such connection is not established, the older child may feel invaded by the younger sibling. Such tensions can only worsen as they grow older.

On a darker end, if the baby is again a girl, things will probably turn out much worse. The mother is usually the one to blame for not giving birth to a boy, while in fact, it is the sperm from the father that determines the baby』s gender. The mother, then, is put in a terrible position. She just went through a pregnancy that probably wrecked her over-worked body, and now she is once more neglected, laughed at and even spitted upon by the family. But no one remembers that she did not want the baby, she was forced to her tragic fate. The baby girl yet face a even more awkward situation. She is now an official member of the family, but she was just an add-on, a lottery that did not pay off, a child that is unwanted. Will she ever receive the same amount of love as her sister? We do not know. A mother will always love her child. Even so, who can say that the mother will not have any anger toward the girl that was supposed to bring her respect and joy?

With that said, gender discrimination against women still exists in China. Many families still choose to detect the gender of the fetus and go through gender-selective abortion. It is shocking that even though abortion is such a prevalent practice in Chinese hospitals, it has ever been a seriously discussed topic among the general public. Many people go through abortion not knowing what it really does to the fetus and to their own body. People are rarely educated on the health effects abortion has on women, as well as the numerous moral and social controversies behind it. A common belief is that abortion is just 「taking a lump of cells out of your stomach」, never thinking that this 「lump of cells」 could have been your child. Moreover, unlike abortion for unexpected pregnancy or defective fetus, sex-selective abortion is intentional and discriminatory. In this way, the killing of a fetus is not more justifiable than killing a person. Furthermore, the negative influences that abortion brings upon women is also underestimated. Most people who have gone through abortion become reportedly weaker, more prone to diseases and psychological disorders. This in turn make the woman less respected in their homes as well as the society.

In conclusion, the open of the One-Child policy came like a wave, giving many family a chance to establish their dream home while leaving many others bewildered. The intention of such policy is essentially good. However, with the discrimination and obsolete traditions still persisting, the society is not yet ready for this round of revolution. The only way to fill the gap between the policy and people』s beliefs is by educating them about the policy, gender discrimination and abortion, instead of avoiding them and hope they will go away by themselves.

Reference:

Selective sex identification of foetus banned.

How scary is having a baby when youre over 40?

一口氣在兩個小時之內寫完了這篇文章，算是我作為一個女孩子這麼久以來的一次總結和釋放吧。像往常一樣用的是英語，總覺得用中文寫的話會很露骨，而且有被審掉的可能性666。因為沒有重新審讀，有用詞錯誤的地方還請多多包涵。

甜瓜

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