Briefly describe the population control program that China instituted in the 1970s. Explain why it was instituted, how it was enforced, and why it was controversial
What will be an ideal response?
In the 1970s, China's population swelled due to improved health and food production and distribution. At that time, the average Chinese woman gave birth to 5.8 children. The burgeoning population and its industrial and agricultural development were eroding the nation's soils, depleting its water, leveling its forests, and polluting its air. The government instituted a population control program that precluded Chinese couples in urban areas from having more than one child. Rewards (e.g., better housing, schooling, and medical treatment) and punishments (e.g., fines, employment discrimination, and social scorn) were used to enforce the one-child limit. The "success" of the program was facilitated by China's communist government. It is unlikely that a similar policy instituted in a democratic society would have been met with as much acceptance and compliance. The policy is controversial to Westerners because it restricts personal freedoms.
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