Research Paper on
Adopting One Child Policy in Bangladesh
Name: Susmita Bashir ID: 1110029030 Section: 10 Course: ENG 105 Date of Submission: 16. 04. 2014
Submitted To: Michelle Draper (MCD) North South University
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Almighty Allah for giving us the patience and the ability to work hard with tremendous devotion. First and foremost thanks to my Course Instructor, Ms Michelle Draper for her invaluable guidance, encouragement and suggestions throughout the entire ENG 105 course. Without her support and faith in us it would not have been possible to complete and submit this report.
I would also like to thank all the respondents of my survey who have taken a chunk of their busy schedule to assist me in conducting my research. I will also express my gratitude towards my mother especially who have not only insisted me in completing the research in time but also provided every necessary thing that I required while conducting the survey. I am deeply indebted to my friends without whom this report would not have been a success. Their invaluable suggestion and information have taught me much and as a result my report preparing has been a very positive and uplifting experience. Last but not the least my heartiest gratitude towards my driver who has taken me through the places I need to go for the entire research with utmost patience.
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Abstract
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of more than 160 million people in a territory of 56,977 sq mi. It is the 95th largest country by Land area and the 6th largest country by population (https://www.cia.gov/library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html). As a result this research was conducted to find out whether the people of Bangladesh see one-child policy as a potential way to reduce the population growth of the country and how far there is a difference between the generations. China, the lone implementer of one-child policy, had to several hurdles to implement the policy and even Bangladesh herself has to face problems such as illiteracy, religion, social norms, financial situation etc. if it wants to implement. As a result it was assumed in the hypothesis that this policy cannot be implemented in Bangladesh. When the actual survey was carried out among 50 respondents it was seen that most of the responses came in favor of implementing the policy. Although there were few responses that matched my hypothesis when overall figures were concerned it opposed my hypothesis in most of the occasions. The differences between the generations were also not very much prevalent in the research.
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Table of Contents:
TOPIC o Introduction o Background o Areas of Research o Hypothesis o Research Methodology o Primary Data Presentation and Analysis o Secondary Data Presentation and Analysis o Summary of Research Findings o Limitations o Conclusion o References o Appendix
PAGE NO. 5 7 9 10 11 12
25
36
38 39 40 42
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Introduction
?I'm not scared of dying, and I don't really care if its peace you find in dying. Well then let the time be near. And when I die and when I'm gone there'll be one child born and a world to carry on.? (N. Laura, 2014)
Yes, I‘m talking about the ?One-child Policy? to control the increasing population of Bangladesh. I was literally stunned when I heard that the earth's population is 7.144 billion which appears to be increasing at a rate of about 6.5 million a month or 78 million a year. From a purely mathematical point of view, at the current growth rate of 1.16 per cent per year, the world's population will double in 60 years. (http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/worldpopinfo.php) However to control these escalating population there is ?One-child Policy? for the People‘s Republic of China which stipulates each couple living in the cities should only have one child, unless one or both of the couple are from an ethnic minority or they are both only children. Another exemption is for couples who reside in rural areas, they can have a maximum of two children but this provision sometimes applies only if the first child is a girl — a clear acknowledgment of the traditional preference for boys. According to the concerned government officials of China the policy has been a great success preventing 250 million births since its inception in 1979 (CIA- The world Fact book, 2009).The policy also comprises of certain regulations such as restrictions on family size, late marriage and childbearing, and the spacing of children (in cases in which second children are permitted). If a couple who falls under the policy
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fails to implement it can be fined thousands of dollars. Those who volunteer to have only one child are awarded a ?Certificate of honor for Single-Child Parents? (Fitzpatrick, 2009).
My research was conducted to find out how the people of Bangladesh see one-child policy as a tool to curb the population growth and I hope that with my work, people will get a general idea of the outcome of implementing the policy in Bangladesh which is also likely to differ from that of China. It‘s because there is a formidable difference between China and Bangladesh regarding culture, politics, religion, economy etc.
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Background
In this plethora of emerging population Bangladesh plays an important role. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of more than 160 million people in a territory of 56,977 sq mi. It is the 95th largest country by Land area; Bangladesh turns things around by being the 6th largest country by population (https://www.cia.gov/library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html). The fertility rate is 2.74 children per woman which is pretty high when compared with world standards . Researches show that the number of mouths increasing every moment is inversely proportional to the availability of arable land. The growing population would create a huge pressure not only on food security but also on education, health, housing, sewerage system, power, energy etc (Arzu, 2009). Thus, the challenge of population growth is not imaginary but real for developing countries. In fact, the prospect of their achieving meaningful economic expansion seems to hinge, in great part, on their ability to limit population growth, especially among the underprivileged.
Accordingly the Government of Bangladesh has taken several steps such as creating awareness, free use of contraceptives etc. to reduce the population growth but the success rate has not been satisfactory. So the government is now thinking of implementing one child policy like China in order to bring a significant reduction in the population growth rate (Arzu, 2009). In 1979 Onechild policy was formulated due to its large population as it continued to increase and its attempt to fight widespread poverty and to improve the overall quality of life. Every birth meant another mouth to feed and another person to house in a nation running out of both commodities. This is
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why the policy was adopted; to ensure that china would be able to feed its people; which were a worry as china had a bad historical background of severe flooding and famine.
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Areas of Research
In my research I tried to find out whether it is viable for Bangladesh to adopt the one child policy of China in order to curb her ever increasing population. I also looked into the differences between the generations that persist regarding this issue. In my research, I mainly concentrated on the aspects of one child policy. I examined the ages of the audience, and undoubtedly, the drawbacks of one child policy. The main focus of my research was both the positive and negative impacts on the people of Bangladesh on how they respond to this policy. And so accordingly, the two target groups for this research was (18-29) aged people and (30-50) aged people. By evaluating their opinions against my hypothesis I reached the final conclusion. The areas included topics like whether the response differs from one generation to the other. And surprisingly enough, there is not much of a difference lies between the respondents of two different age groups. A majority of them also indicated other better solutions in order to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. Another topic that was included in the research was the situation in Bangladesh in terms of population, economy, religion and culture in which the respondents of my survey (conducted for the primary data) stated their opinions. Moreover, I explored the area of the factors would hinder the adaptation of such a policy in Bangladesh, in which the respondents were asked to list down the factors. This particular area gave me an insight to whether there are any other better solutions in order to curb the population growth of Bangladesh.
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Hypothesis
The hypothesis of my research is given below:
Restricting the number of child that a family can give birth is bound to ignite controversies in a country which has a poor literacy rate and is dominated by people who are immense practitioners of religion. Since Bangladesh is a democratic country, I think no government will be willing to implement a policy which will go against the sentiment of the public. I expect the outcome of the research is also likely to differ between different generations of the country. So according to me it will be difficult to implement the policy in Bangladesh because of the above mentioned difficulties.
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Methodology
For my primary research, I went for a survey of a representative sampling of the people from different social and economic status. The number of respondents of my survey was 50. The nationality of all the respondents was Bangladeshi. Thus my target group consists of two different demographic sections: 1) 18-25, 2) 30-50 from which I interviewed 25 people from
each group. This process will enable me to find out the differences between the two generations. In order to carry out the survey I have formed a questionnaire with which I can get the desired information and data which will assist me in analyzing the research.
For my secondary research, I mainly focused on collecting data from the internet. I have also used the materials available in the library of North South University and the resources available in the web. I have collected necessary information from various newspapers such as The Daily Star and The Time. I have also used certain government websites as well as taken required resources from journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine. There are numerous online articles and blogs that have discussed the one child policy. They have also pointed out how it reduces the population growth. I also explored the Face book group of PBS (chain bookshop in Bangladesh) and downloaded pictures of the book that discussed about the one child policy.
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Primary Data Presentation & Analysis
Like previously stated, the primary data of this research paper contains a survey where the total numbers of respondents were 50. Here are the presentation and analysis of all the data found through primary research.
Age Group: {18-29} = Group A=25 Age Group: {30-50} = Group B =25 Total: Group A + Group B
Survey Questions:
Q1: Do you think that the population of Bangladesh has gone beyond the capacity?
This question was asked to the respondents to further evaluate their stance on the population situation of Bangladesh. The outcome was intended to produce the results whether the people of Bangladesh feel that that their country is overpopulated or it is capable to accommodate more people without having to face any trouble.
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40
35
30
25
Yes
20
Not yet No
15
10
5
0 Group A Group B Total
Figure: 1
The outcome of the question was pretty much biased towards a single response. As both Group A and Group B chose option ?Yes‘ as their most favored option, 74% of the entire respondents feel Bangladesh is overpopulated. When differentiated between the two age groups: 80% of Group A and 68% of Group B feels they are overpopulated at the moment. The results show that the people of Bangladesh are aware of the current situation. Only a negligible number of responses supported the idea of accommodating more people in the future.
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Q2: Why do you think Bangladesh is over populated?
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High fertility rate
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Inefficiently- governed nation People don't have family planning policy Insufficient awareness of the importance of population growth control Incompetent government.
15
10
5
0 Group A Group B Total
Figure: 2
The chart above shows us that 50% of the total respondents said that Bangladesh is overpopulated because people don't have family planning policy. However, the remaining 32% said that high fertility rate causes overpopulation. This chart reflects the reasons of excess population in Bangladesh. On the other hand, 6 out of 50 respondents knew about the consequence of insufficient awareness of the population growth control. Only a few respondents from the entire survey claimed incompetent government as a reason of high population growth.
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Q3. Do you know what one-child policy is?
One-child policy
Yes No, but would like to know about it Somewhat understanding No, and have no interest about it
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17 15 13 8 5 3 0 Group A Group B 2 0 Total 3 0
Figure: 3
In this figure the responses portray that the majority of people in Bangladesh know what onechild policy is. As the topic of the research is based on one-child policy so the question was asked to see whether the respondents were aware of the policy on which the topic is set. From the overall response it can be seen that 64% of the respondents have a thorough knowledge on one-child policy. Group A, the younger age group, seems slightly more enthusiastic about onechild policy then Group B. Although 10% of the entire respondents have null idea about onechild policy, they have shown their keenness to know about it.
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Q4. Is one-child policy effective enough to curb the population growth of Bangladesh?
Yes
No
Group A 18 Total 36 Total 14
Group A 7
Group B 18
Group B 7
Figure: 4
This question was asked to find out whether one-child policy can be an effective solution to the population problems that Bangladesh is currently facing. The response from the survey was very much unexpected because it was previously assumed in the hypothesis that one-child policy may not be an effective policy to curb the population growth in Bangladesh. But 72% of the entire respondents stated one-child policy as an effective way to curb the population growth. Incidentally equal number of respondents from both the age groups supported the policy. The number of respondents from both the groups who opposed the policy was also equal. The outcome of the question is completely against my hypothesis.
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Q5. If your answer is not affirmative in the preceding question then please suggest an effective way to curb the population growth of Bangladesh.
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12 Offering incentives from government
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8
Froming legislation
Creating awareness 6 4 2 0 Group A Group B Total
Figure: 5
The number of respondents of this question was 14. 7 respondents from Group A and 5 respondents from Group B opted for the option creating awareness as an alternative of implementing one-child policy. 2 respondents from Group B opted for the option- Offering incentives/ fringe benefits from the government. Majority of the respondents who thought onechild policy might not be effective opted for ?Creating awareness‘ as an alternative.
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Q6. Should the Government of Bangladesh offer incentives for having one child only?
I don't know Total
No
Yes Group B
Group A
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure: 6
The reason behind asking this question was to find out whether the respondents feel that the government of Bangladesh should keep a provision in its budget for providing incentives for having one child. The majority of the response that came out supported the notion that government should provide incentives for implementing one-child policy. 66% of the entire respondents supported the initiative while 28% of the entire population did not support the idea of spending government money in this sector. The elder generation consisting of Group B supported the initiative at a greater rate than the younger generation of Group A. A negligible number of respondents were not sure about their stance so they opted for the option – ?I don‘t know‘.
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Q7. What do you think are the drawbacks of one-child policy?
Gender imbalance Total
Risk factors Group B Clashes with religious beliefs Group A Difficult to implement 0 5 10 Figure: 7 15 20
One-child policy is not a policy without any shortcoming. This question was asked in order to find out from the respondents the aspect which they feel is a drawback of one-child policy. But the responses that came out from the survey did not show any clear difference among the choices. Probably the respondents felt that all the options have some significance as drawbacks of implementing one-child policy as a tool to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. With 9 responses overall ?clashes with religious beliefs‘ was the least popular choice amongst all the responses. With only 4 responses for both the occasions- ?Gender imbalance‘ and ?risk factors‘ were not big problems for Age Group B. ?Difficult to implement‘ was the most popular choice for both the age groups 19 overall responses. In Age group A the choices are pretty much equally ranked by the respondents which show that the younger generation feels that all the options have some relevance as drawbacks of one-child policy.
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Q8. Do you think that one-child policy will clash with the religious beliefs of the people in Bangladesh?
Clash with religious beliefs
Number of respondents
30 20 10 0 Group A Group B
No opinion No Yes
Total
Yes No No opinion
Group A 6 10 9
Group B 9 11 5
Total 15 21 14
Figure: 8
In the hypothesis it was mentioned that in Bangladesh religion will be a major issue which will clash with the one-child policy. But the responses that came out from the primary research proved that my hypothesis did not match with the actual outcome. 21 respondents from the entire survey felt religion will not be a major issue. When converted in to percentage 42% of the entire respondents feel that religion will not clash with one-child policy. Only 15 respondents feel that religion will clash with the implementation of one-child policy. Out of them Age Group B has more response in favor of option ?Yes‘ which perhaps shows that the younger population does not consider religion as an important issue which will clash with one-child policy.
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Q9. Would one-child policy lead to excess of males, thus creating a gender imbalance?
Total
No opinion Group B No Yes
Group A
0
5
10
15
20
25
Figure: 9
Gender imbalance was also mentioned in the hypothesis as an important aspect that is likely to occur if one-child policy is implemented. In China gender imbalance is termed to occur as a consequence of implementing one-child policy. The traditional preference for boys has meant sex-selected abortions resulting in an acute gender imbalance. Today, men in China outnumber women by 37 million (Parker, 2209). Similar things are likely to occur in Bangladesh as well because the literacy rate in Bangladesh is very poor at around 62.4%. Most of the people in Bangladesh desire for a male child so an imbalance in gender is likely to occur. The response that came out from the survey supported the hypothesis. Overall 21 respondents felt that the implementation of one-child policy is likely to have gender imbalance. The overall percentage of affirmative response is around 42%. The response for option ?Yes‘ was nearly identical for both Group A & Group B.
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Q10. What factors, according to you, will mostly hinder the implementation of one-child policy in Bangladesh?
30 25 20 15
10 16
26
10
5
8 6 1 2 3 1 4 2 5
8 3
5 0
Group A Religion Law & Order
GroupB Financial situation Figure: 10
Total Society Others
This question was asked to find out the hindrance that one-child policy will face if implemented in Bangladesh. After analyzing the responses it is seen that ?society‘ is the most popular response between both the age groups with an overall percentage of 52%. On the other hand ?Law & order‘ seems to be the option with lowest response from both the age groups. When segregated between the age groups it is seen that ?society‘ is the most dominant response in Group A with 16 responses and in Group B with 10 responses. According to the respondents the other two options ?Religion‘ & ?Financial situation‘ didn‘t turn up to be a major hindrance for implementing one-child policy in Bangladesh. There was another option ?Others‘ and it had only 3 responses. The factors that were suggested by the respondents as a major hindrance are: proper planning and implementation, knowledge of people, bureaucracy and corrupted mindsets of the politicians.
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Q11. Do you think that Bangladesh being a democratic country is also an obstruction towards the implementation of this policy?
Total
I don't know
Group B No Yes
Group A
0
5
10
15 Figure: 11
20
25
China, the only implementer of one-child policy, can pass any policy as the general public has very minimal rights to raise their voice against the government. But the scenario is not the same here in Bangladesh. Every 5 years the general public has the right to elect their government. So any government will not want to implement any policy which will go against the will of the people. The responses that came out from the survey also prove this point of my hypothesis. Out of the total 25 responses of option ?Yes‘ Group A gave 17 whereas Group B gave only 8 responses. Out of the total 11 responses of option ?No‘ only one response was from Group A. In Group A the highest % of respondents opted for ?Yes‘- 68% and in Group B the highest % of respondents opted for ?No‘- 40%. This response shows that unlike most other questions there was major difference in mindset between the younger and the older generation for this response.
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Q12. Are you interested in implementing one-child policy in your own family?
One-child policy at home
30 26 25
20 15 15 32% 52% 16% Yes No I'm not sure 5 10 6 4 4 11 10 8 16
0 Group A Yes Group B No Total
I'm not sure
Figure: 12
The last question of the survey was asked to find out how the respondents will act or have acted in their family. The response from the survey shows that 52% of the respondents will implement one-child policy in their own family. On the other hand equal number of respondents from Group A and Group B will not implement one-child policy. 20% of the respondents are not sure about their decision. 16 overall responses of the option ?I‘m not sure‘ probably indicate that the respondents were not sure of their decision. The overall results give some idea that the people of Bangladesh will accept this policy which certainly does go against my hypothesis.
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Secondary Data Presentation & Analysis
1. Books
Jian, M. (2002). China's Barbaric One-child Policy. The Dark Road (pp. 143). Beijing, China: Worth.
In this section of the book, entitled China's barbaric one-child policy, the author explains that for more than 30 years, China has upheld a strict one-child policy. Despite the country's growing prosperity, novelist Ma Jian discovered that ruthless squads still brutally enforce the law with vast fines – and compulsory sterilizations and abortions. There was a woman who was forced to abort her baby nine months into her pregnancy.
This section of the book strongly proves my hypothesis. In my hypothesis, I mentioned that Bangladesh government will not implement a policy which will go against the sentiment of public. This article gave some guidelines about how barbaric one child policy was in China. Thus my hypothesis was proved right from this section taken from a book.
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2. Online Journal:
Kiffling, D. (2012, October 31). China think-tank urges end of one-child policy. The Guardian,
29, 435-455. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/31/china-
thinktank- abolition -one-child-policy.
In this article, foundation close to central leadership urges end to birth limits policy across China by 2015, with experts saying reform is 'inevitable'. A Chinese government think-tank is urging the country's leaders to start phasing out its one-child policy immediately and allow two children for every family by 2015, a daring proposal to do away with the unpopular policy. Some demographers view the timeline put forward by the China Development Research Foundation as a bold move by a body close to the central leadership. Others warn that the gradual approach, if implemented, would still be insufficient to help correct the problems that China's strict birth limits have created.
This online article has also proved my hypothesis as it talked in support of a point of my hypothesis that it will be difficult to implement the policy in Bangladesh. With some factual data and good explanation, this article provided enough support to prove my hypothesis.
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3. Blogs:
Rustic, A. (2014, February 4). Reward system to enforce one- child policy [Web log post]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.allgirlsallowed.org/one-child-policy
This blogs portrays that the One-Child Policy restricts the majority of Chinese families to one child each. The consequences of having a child without a birth permit vary by province, with fines reaching as high as several times the average annual income. To enforce the One-Child Policy, the Chinese government uses a quota reward system for Planning Officials who carry out the birth control policies. If they do not meet these quotas, they are either punished or lose the opportunity to earn promotions. The policy continues to be a major concern for parents who are at the mercy of local officials to approve their eligibility for exemptions.
This is one blog writing which talked against my hypothesis. In this writing, the blogger mentioned how government incentives persuade one- child policy in a person‘s life. He also said that it has very good effect on people‘s health. Thus, no point of my hypothesis was proved according to this particular article.
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4. Video:
Fuzung, C. (Writer), & Crawford, M. (Director). (2013, October 22). China's One Child Policy
[Video file]. Retrieved from
This video gives a very in-depth explanation about the history of one child policy and its effect on the general people. The One Child Policy was created after Chairman Mao launched a campaign to encourage families to have more children, leading to birthrates of over 4 children per family. At the same time, there was a food shortage that resulted in part from Mao‘s failed economic-planning of the Great Leap Forward, during which 30 million Chinese died of manmade famine. As a result, a coercive policy was born that would impact the most intimate aspect of every Chinese citizen's life.
From this video clip, my hypothesis has been proved right. As this clip is like a documentary which shows that what happens to a person if he has no family planning and don‘t know about one- child policy. It also showed how this situation becomes miserable to a family. Hence, my hypothesis is proved.
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5. Online Newspapers:
Sheridan, M. (2013, November17). China Rules out Baby Boom as One-Child Policy Is Eased. The Sunday Times. Retrieved fromhttp://www.thesundaytimes.com.uk/sto/news/world_ news/Asia/article1341513.ece
This article talks about Chinese officials have moved swiftly to play down expectations that changes to the country‘s ?one child? policy will usher in a baby boom in the world‘s most populous country. A loosening of curbs on family size was the most headline-grabbing change to emerge after a key closed-door conclave of the ruling Communist party. At present, most citydwellers are forbidden to have more than one child, but there are exceptions for country-dwellers whose first child is a girl and for parents who are themselves only children. The latter exception will now be extended to couples of whom only one partner is a single child.
Based on the arguments mentioned in this source, I conclude that my hypothesis that was restricting the number of children in a country which a poor literacy rate thus been proved. In this article, we can see that there are references to different sociologists also who told the very same thing. Hence it supports my hypothesis completely.
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6. Online Magazine:
Daniela, D. (1992). The Little Emperors. Los Angeles Times, 16(6). Retrieved fromhttp://articles.latimes.com/1992-07-26/magazine/tm-5347_1_oneChild-policy/3.
This article is about a generation of spoiled brats, a tidal wave of abortions and thousands of missing girls which are some of the unintended consequences of China's revolutionary one-child policy. The need for family planning is obvious in the cities, where living space is limited and the one-child policy is strictly enforced and largely successful. City dwellers are slowly beginning to accept the notion that smaller families are better for the country, although most would certainly want two children if they could have them. The government seems aware of the pressure its policies put on expectant parents, and the painful results, but has not shown any flexibility. Too many female embryos were being aborted for this reason.
Based on all the quotes and references put in this magazine article, I will again conclude that my research hypothesis has been proved here again. This article talked about different difficulties to implement one- child policy. Thus my point has been supported.
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7. Online Reference Work:
Tain, Z. (March 1983). Studying Marxist theory on population and initiating a new situation in demographic research. Renkou Yanjiu (2): 13–4. PMID 12313010. Retrieved fromhttp://www.demographic research.com/science/referenceworks/3459871256.
It is reported that the focus of China on population control helps provide a better health service for women and a reduction in the risks of death and injury associated with pregnancy. At family planning offices, women receive free contraception and pre-natal classes. Help is provided for pregnant women to closely monitor their health. In various places in China, the government rolled out a ?Care for Girls‘ program, which aims at eliminating cultural discrimination against girls in rural and underdeveloped areas through subsidies and education.
This reference work also proved my hypothesis. Because in this reference, they came into a conclusion that one child policy can control birth rate which is effective to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. So, another point of my hypothesis was proved.
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8. Article in an Online Journal:
Koetsier, J. (2013, April 26). Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (August 1995). Social Psychology:New Research, 113120. Retrieved 27 October 2008. SectionIII paragraph 2. Retrieved from http:/ /www. fmprc. gov. cn/ ce/ celt/ eng/ zt/ zfbps/ t125241/
This article gives the introduction of the one-child policy, the fertility rate in China fell from over three births per woman in 1980 (already a sharp reduction from more than five births per woman in the early 1970s) to approximately 1.8 births in 2008. Chinese authorities thus consider the policy as a great success in helping to implement China's current economic growth. The reduction in the fertility rate and thus population growth has reduced the severity of problems that come with overpopulation.
This secondary source has proved in my hypothesis. It proved that one child policy is the only way to control the population growth in a country.
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9. Article from a database:
Scheuer, J. (1987). Status of Population and Family Planning Programme in China by Province. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific report, 101, 56. Retrieved from http:/ / www. unescap. org/ esid/ psis/ population/ database/ chinadata/ intro/
This article portrays that the single child policy was introduced to help stop the fast growth of China's population. Xiao Di's family is part of China's rich middle class and their ambitions and attitudes are similar to those of Western families: they want him to be happy, to have friends, to do well at school and to be healthy. Unlike their own generation, they don't want him to be duty-bound to caring for them in their old age. Having a single child has allowed them to devote more time to him, but they feel that having brothers or sisters would benefit Xiao Di socially and emotionally. This clip is only available as Flash and Windows Media versions.
This online article has also proved my hypothesis as it talked in support of a point of my hypothesis that one- child policy increases economic growth by concerning families about their only one child. With some motivational support with good explanation, this article thus provided enough support to prove my hypothesis.
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10. Movie:
Kingsley, B. (Director). (2007). The China Syndrome. China's Stolen Children [DVD]. United Kingdom: Home Theatre. Available from http:// www.imdb.com/title/ tt1126492/
The movie depicts that the same team returns to a very different China where the infamous One Child Policy has had the horrific side effect of a boom in stolen children. Devastated parents were desperately searching for their stolen sons and prospective parents grappling with giving up their soon-to-be-born daughter through lack of options. There were face to face with the crisis that such a stringent government policy has created among China's poorest people. A place where girl babies are being sold for 3,000-4,000 RMB (£200-270); that they allow the film-makers to covertly record them buying and selling tiny human lives. Tens of thousands of children are now kidnapped and traded on the black market.
This is a compare and contrast type movie on the risks factors of one- child policy that the parents have chance to lose their only child. It focused on the negative effects of one child policy and so my hypothesis was proved. This movie also talked about the blessing side of government initiatives. So my hypothesis was proved wrong.
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Summary of Research findings
After conducting both the primary and secondary research it was very much prevalent that Bangladeshi people will accept one-child policy in order to reduce the population growth that currently exists in the country. Initially from the secondary research it was found that Bangladesh was suffering from the wrath of the rapid increase in population and was desperately searching for a way out of it. In the primary research it was found that the general public of Bangladesh was aware of the current situation and they were viewing one-child policy as a probable solution of their problem. 72% of the entire respondents termed one-child policy as an effective means to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. And a majority of the respondents also wants government to provide incentive in order to initiate this policy. This response clearly opposes the hypothesis.
In the secondary research it was also found out how the one-child policy was initiated in its country of birth i.e. China. The benefits and drawbacks of one-child policy were also mentioned. And in the survey it showed from the responses of people that they feel that despite having several drawbacks and hindrance such as religion, society, gender imbalance etc this policy will be successful in reducing the population growth of Bangladesh.
The second part of the research was done to find out whether there is any difference between generations regarding the initiation of one-child policy. But after conducting and analyzing the primary research by segregating the respondents in to two separate age groups it was found out that not much of a difference lies between the respondents of two different age groups. Although
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there were few differences regarding some responses, any concrete disagreements between the two generations could not be derived from the research.
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Limitations
Although I did not find any difficulty in finding the secondary data needed to complete the project, I had faced a lot of problems while collecting the primary ones. Students of North South University have helped me a lot to fill up the survey questions. But the research required at least fifty responses. So I decided to knock my friends online. The bitter truth is, I had invited 171 people to fill out the survey form, but only 19 of them came forward to help. Many of them ignored the message and left the thread, and many haven‘t even checked it yet!
If I had more time, I would definitely have tried to interview more people which would have given us a much better idea. Maybe I would try to reach people living in China through online, and ask about their opinions on the show, too. And maybe I would wander around not only the Dhaka city but also other districts like Chittagong, Rajshahi, Comilla, Sylhet, and Barisal too. This would have made my research unique and I could make it more reliable.
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Conclusion
This entire research was conducted in order to find out whether one-child policy is an answer to the population queries that the country is currently facing. And also whether there are any differences between generations regarding this policy. From the outcome of the research it was seen that the people of Bangladesh see one-child policy as an effective way to curb the population. Although the respondents have termed a few drawbacks of one-child policy such as gender imbalance, religious issues etc. a major proportion of them have also stated that they have or will implement one-child policy in their own family.
The outcome of the survey also states that the differences between the two generations regarding the implementation of one-child policy were not very much prevalent. Thus the hypothesis that was stated in the earlier part of the research did not match with the actual outcome of the research. According to the outcome of the research this policy will be accepted by the people of Bangladesh so it can be used in order to reduce the population growth of Bangladesh.
39
References
Jian, M. (2002). China's Barbaric One-child Policy. The Dark Road (pp. 143). Beijing, China: Worth.
Kiffling, D. (2012, October 31). China think-tank urges end of one-child policy. The Guardian,
29, 435-455. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/31/china-
thinktank- abolition -one-child-policy.
Rustic, A. (2014, February 4). Reward system to enforce one- child policy [Web log post]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.allgirlsallowed.org/one-child-policy
Fuzung, C. (Writer), & Crawford, M. (Director). (2013, October 22). China's One Child Policy
[Video file]. Retrieved from
Sheridan, M. (2013, November17). China Rules out Baby Boom as One-Child Policy Is Eased. The Sunday Times. Retrieved fromhttp://www.thesundaytimes.com.uk/sto/news/world_ news/Asia/article1341513.ece
Daniela, D. (1992). The Little Emperors. Los Angeles Times, 16(6). Retrieved fromhttp://articles.latimes.com/1992-07-26/magazine/tm-5347_1_oneChild-policy/3.
40
Tain, Z. (March 1983). Studying Marxist theory on population and initiating a new situation in demographic research. Renkou Yanjiu (2): 13–4. PMID 12313010. Retrieved fromhttp://www.demographic research.com/science/referenceworks/3459871256.
Koetsier, J. (2013, April 26). Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (August 1995). Social Psychology:New Research, 113120. Retrieved 27 October 2008. SectionIII paragraph 2. Retrieved from http:/ /www. fmprc. gov. cn/ ce/ celt/ eng/ zt/ zfbps/ t125241/
Scheuer, J. (1987). Status of Population and Family Planning Programme in China by Province. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific report, 101, 56. Retrieved from http:/ / www. unescap. org/ esid/ psis/ population/ database/ chinadata/ intro/
Kingsley, B. (Director). (2007). The China Syndrome. China's Stolen Children [DVD].
United Kingdom: Home Theatre. Available from http:// www.imdb.com/title/ tt1126492/
41
Appendix
I have put all of my other materials related to this research in a brown envelop and sealed it. My appendix is the collection of all those materials. In my appendix I have included the following papers:
1. Research Topic paper
2. Research Proposal paper
3. Hand-written Questionnaire paper
4. Secondary Sources paper
5. Research Outline paper
6. A fresh copy of my printed Questionnaire
7. All the 50 surveys I conducted for this research
42
doc_853666763.docx
Adopting One Child Policy in Bangladesh
Name: Susmita Bashir ID: 1110029030 Section: 10 Course: ENG 105 Date of Submission: 16. 04. 2014
Submitted To: Michelle Draper (MCD) North South University
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Almighty Allah for giving us the patience and the ability to work hard with tremendous devotion. First and foremost thanks to my Course Instructor, Ms Michelle Draper for her invaluable guidance, encouragement and suggestions throughout the entire ENG 105 course. Without her support and faith in us it would not have been possible to complete and submit this report.
I would also like to thank all the respondents of my survey who have taken a chunk of their busy schedule to assist me in conducting my research. I will also express my gratitude towards my mother especially who have not only insisted me in completing the research in time but also provided every necessary thing that I required while conducting the survey. I am deeply indebted to my friends without whom this report would not have been a success. Their invaluable suggestion and information have taught me much and as a result my report preparing has been a very positive and uplifting experience. Last but not the least my heartiest gratitude towards my driver who has taken me through the places I need to go for the entire research with utmost patience.
2
Abstract
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of more than 160 million people in a territory of 56,977 sq mi. It is the 95th largest country by Land area and the 6th largest country by population (https://www.cia.gov/library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html). As a result this research was conducted to find out whether the people of Bangladesh see one-child policy as a potential way to reduce the population growth of the country and how far there is a difference between the generations. China, the lone implementer of one-child policy, had to several hurdles to implement the policy and even Bangladesh herself has to face problems such as illiteracy, religion, social norms, financial situation etc. if it wants to implement. As a result it was assumed in the hypothesis that this policy cannot be implemented in Bangladesh. When the actual survey was carried out among 50 respondents it was seen that most of the responses came in favor of implementing the policy. Although there were few responses that matched my hypothesis when overall figures were concerned it opposed my hypothesis in most of the occasions. The differences between the generations were also not very much prevalent in the research.
3
Table of Contents:
TOPIC o Introduction o Background o Areas of Research o Hypothesis o Research Methodology o Primary Data Presentation and Analysis o Secondary Data Presentation and Analysis o Summary of Research Findings o Limitations o Conclusion o References o Appendix
PAGE NO. 5 7 9 10 11 12
25
36
38 39 40 42
4
Introduction
?I'm not scared of dying, and I don't really care if its peace you find in dying. Well then let the time be near. And when I die and when I'm gone there'll be one child born and a world to carry on.? (N. Laura, 2014)
Yes, I‘m talking about the ?One-child Policy? to control the increasing population of Bangladesh. I was literally stunned when I heard that the earth's population is 7.144 billion which appears to be increasing at a rate of about 6.5 million a month or 78 million a year. From a purely mathematical point of view, at the current growth rate of 1.16 per cent per year, the world's population will double in 60 years. (http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/worldpopinfo.php) However to control these escalating population there is ?One-child Policy? for the People‘s Republic of China which stipulates each couple living in the cities should only have one child, unless one or both of the couple are from an ethnic minority or they are both only children. Another exemption is for couples who reside in rural areas, they can have a maximum of two children but this provision sometimes applies only if the first child is a girl — a clear acknowledgment of the traditional preference for boys. According to the concerned government officials of China the policy has been a great success preventing 250 million births since its inception in 1979 (CIA- The world Fact book, 2009).The policy also comprises of certain regulations such as restrictions on family size, late marriage and childbearing, and the spacing of children (in cases in which second children are permitted). If a couple who falls under the policy
5
fails to implement it can be fined thousands of dollars. Those who volunteer to have only one child are awarded a ?Certificate of honor for Single-Child Parents? (Fitzpatrick, 2009).
My research was conducted to find out how the people of Bangladesh see one-child policy as a tool to curb the population growth and I hope that with my work, people will get a general idea of the outcome of implementing the policy in Bangladesh which is also likely to differ from that of China. It‘s because there is a formidable difference between China and Bangladesh regarding culture, politics, religion, economy etc.
6
Background
In this plethora of emerging population Bangladesh plays an important role. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of more than 160 million people in a territory of 56,977 sq mi. It is the 95th largest country by Land area; Bangladesh turns things around by being the 6th largest country by population (https://www.cia.gov/library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html). The fertility rate is 2.74 children per woman which is pretty high when compared with world standards . Researches show that the number of mouths increasing every moment is inversely proportional to the availability of arable land. The growing population would create a huge pressure not only on food security but also on education, health, housing, sewerage system, power, energy etc (Arzu, 2009). Thus, the challenge of population growth is not imaginary but real for developing countries. In fact, the prospect of their achieving meaningful economic expansion seems to hinge, in great part, on their ability to limit population growth, especially among the underprivileged.
Accordingly the Government of Bangladesh has taken several steps such as creating awareness, free use of contraceptives etc. to reduce the population growth but the success rate has not been satisfactory. So the government is now thinking of implementing one child policy like China in order to bring a significant reduction in the population growth rate (Arzu, 2009). In 1979 Onechild policy was formulated due to its large population as it continued to increase and its attempt to fight widespread poverty and to improve the overall quality of life. Every birth meant another mouth to feed and another person to house in a nation running out of both commodities. This is
7
why the policy was adopted; to ensure that china would be able to feed its people; which were a worry as china had a bad historical background of severe flooding and famine.
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Areas of Research
In my research I tried to find out whether it is viable for Bangladesh to adopt the one child policy of China in order to curb her ever increasing population. I also looked into the differences between the generations that persist regarding this issue. In my research, I mainly concentrated on the aspects of one child policy. I examined the ages of the audience, and undoubtedly, the drawbacks of one child policy. The main focus of my research was both the positive and negative impacts on the people of Bangladesh on how they respond to this policy. And so accordingly, the two target groups for this research was (18-29) aged people and (30-50) aged people. By evaluating their opinions against my hypothesis I reached the final conclusion. The areas included topics like whether the response differs from one generation to the other. And surprisingly enough, there is not much of a difference lies between the respondents of two different age groups. A majority of them also indicated other better solutions in order to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. Another topic that was included in the research was the situation in Bangladesh in terms of population, economy, religion and culture in which the respondents of my survey (conducted for the primary data) stated their opinions. Moreover, I explored the area of the factors would hinder the adaptation of such a policy in Bangladesh, in which the respondents were asked to list down the factors. This particular area gave me an insight to whether there are any other better solutions in order to curb the population growth of Bangladesh.
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Hypothesis
The hypothesis of my research is given below:
Restricting the number of child that a family can give birth is bound to ignite controversies in a country which has a poor literacy rate and is dominated by people who are immense practitioners of religion. Since Bangladesh is a democratic country, I think no government will be willing to implement a policy which will go against the sentiment of the public. I expect the outcome of the research is also likely to differ between different generations of the country. So according to me it will be difficult to implement the policy in Bangladesh because of the above mentioned difficulties.
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Methodology
For my primary research, I went for a survey of a representative sampling of the people from different social and economic status. The number of respondents of my survey was 50. The nationality of all the respondents was Bangladeshi. Thus my target group consists of two different demographic sections: 1) 18-25, 2) 30-50 from which I interviewed 25 people from
each group. This process will enable me to find out the differences between the two generations. In order to carry out the survey I have formed a questionnaire with which I can get the desired information and data which will assist me in analyzing the research.
For my secondary research, I mainly focused on collecting data from the internet. I have also used the materials available in the library of North South University and the resources available in the web. I have collected necessary information from various newspapers such as The Daily Star and The Time. I have also used certain government websites as well as taken required resources from journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine. There are numerous online articles and blogs that have discussed the one child policy. They have also pointed out how it reduces the population growth. I also explored the Face book group of PBS (chain bookshop in Bangladesh) and downloaded pictures of the book that discussed about the one child policy.
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Primary Data Presentation & Analysis
Like previously stated, the primary data of this research paper contains a survey where the total numbers of respondents were 50. Here are the presentation and analysis of all the data found through primary research.
Age Group: {18-29} = Group A=25 Age Group: {30-50} = Group B =25 Total: Group A + Group B
Survey Questions:
Q1: Do you think that the population of Bangladesh has gone beyond the capacity?
This question was asked to the respondents to further evaluate their stance on the population situation of Bangladesh. The outcome was intended to produce the results whether the people of Bangladesh feel that that their country is overpopulated or it is capable to accommodate more people without having to face any trouble.
12
40
35
30
25
Yes
20
Not yet No
15
10
5
0 Group A Group B Total
Figure: 1
The outcome of the question was pretty much biased towards a single response. As both Group A and Group B chose option ?Yes‘ as their most favored option, 74% of the entire respondents feel Bangladesh is overpopulated. When differentiated between the two age groups: 80% of Group A and 68% of Group B feels they are overpopulated at the moment. The results show that the people of Bangladesh are aware of the current situation. Only a negligible number of responses supported the idea of accommodating more people in the future.
13
Q2: Why do you think Bangladesh is over populated?
25
High fertility rate
20
Inefficiently- governed nation People don't have family planning policy Insufficient awareness of the importance of population growth control Incompetent government.
15
10
5
0 Group A Group B Total
Figure: 2
The chart above shows us that 50% of the total respondents said that Bangladesh is overpopulated because people don't have family planning policy. However, the remaining 32% said that high fertility rate causes overpopulation. This chart reflects the reasons of excess population in Bangladesh. On the other hand, 6 out of 50 respondents knew about the consequence of insufficient awareness of the population growth control. Only a few respondents from the entire survey claimed incompetent government as a reason of high population growth.
14
Q3. Do you know what one-child policy is?
One-child policy
Yes No, but would like to know about it Somewhat understanding No, and have no interest about it
32
17 15 13 8 5 3 0 Group A Group B 2 0 Total 3 0
Figure: 3
In this figure the responses portray that the majority of people in Bangladesh know what onechild policy is. As the topic of the research is based on one-child policy so the question was asked to see whether the respondents were aware of the policy on which the topic is set. From the overall response it can be seen that 64% of the respondents have a thorough knowledge on one-child policy. Group A, the younger age group, seems slightly more enthusiastic about onechild policy then Group B. Although 10% of the entire respondents have null idea about onechild policy, they have shown their keenness to know about it.
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Q4. Is one-child policy effective enough to curb the population growth of Bangladesh?
Yes
No
Group A 18 Total 36 Total 14
Group A 7
Group B 18
Group B 7
Figure: 4
This question was asked to find out whether one-child policy can be an effective solution to the population problems that Bangladesh is currently facing. The response from the survey was very much unexpected because it was previously assumed in the hypothesis that one-child policy may not be an effective policy to curb the population growth in Bangladesh. But 72% of the entire respondents stated one-child policy as an effective way to curb the population growth. Incidentally equal number of respondents from both the age groups supported the policy. The number of respondents from both the groups who opposed the policy was also equal. The outcome of the question is completely against my hypothesis.
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Q5. If your answer is not affirmative in the preceding question then please suggest an effective way to curb the population growth of Bangladesh.
14
12 Offering incentives from government
10
8
Froming legislation
Creating awareness 6 4 2 0 Group A Group B Total
Figure: 5
The number of respondents of this question was 14. 7 respondents from Group A and 5 respondents from Group B opted for the option creating awareness as an alternative of implementing one-child policy. 2 respondents from Group B opted for the option- Offering incentives/ fringe benefits from the government. Majority of the respondents who thought onechild policy might not be effective opted for ?Creating awareness‘ as an alternative.
17
Q6. Should the Government of Bangladesh offer incentives for having one child only?
I don't know Total
No
Yes Group B
Group A
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure: 6
The reason behind asking this question was to find out whether the respondents feel that the government of Bangladesh should keep a provision in its budget for providing incentives for having one child. The majority of the response that came out supported the notion that government should provide incentives for implementing one-child policy. 66% of the entire respondents supported the initiative while 28% of the entire population did not support the idea of spending government money in this sector. The elder generation consisting of Group B supported the initiative at a greater rate than the younger generation of Group A. A negligible number of respondents were not sure about their stance so they opted for the option – ?I don‘t know‘.
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Q7. What do you think are the drawbacks of one-child policy?
Gender imbalance Total
Risk factors Group B Clashes with religious beliefs Group A Difficult to implement 0 5 10 Figure: 7 15 20
One-child policy is not a policy without any shortcoming. This question was asked in order to find out from the respondents the aspect which they feel is a drawback of one-child policy. But the responses that came out from the survey did not show any clear difference among the choices. Probably the respondents felt that all the options have some significance as drawbacks of implementing one-child policy as a tool to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. With 9 responses overall ?clashes with religious beliefs‘ was the least popular choice amongst all the responses. With only 4 responses for both the occasions- ?Gender imbalance‘ and ?risk factors‘ were not big problems for Age Group B. ?Difficult to implement‘ was the most popular choice for both the age groups 19 overall responses. In Age group A the choices are pretty much equally ranked by the respondents which show that the younger generation feels that all the options have some relevance as drawbacks of one-child policy.
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Q8. Do you think that one-child policy will clash with the religious beliefs of the people in Bangladesh?
Clash with religious beliefs
Number of respondents
30 20 10 0 Group A Group B
No opinion No Yes
Total
Yes No No opinion
Group A 6 10 9
Group B 9 11 5
Total 15 21 14
Figure: 8
In the hypothesis it was mentioned that in Bangladesh religion will be a major issue which will clash with the one-child policy. But the responses that came out from the primary research proved that my hypothesis did not match with the actual outcome. 21 respondents from the entire survey felt religion will not be a major issue. When converted in to percentage 42% of the entire respondents feel that religion will not clash with one-child policy. Only 15 respondents feel that religion will clash with the implementation of one-child policy. Out of them Age Group B has more response in favor of option ?Yes‘ which perhaps shows that the younger population does not consider religion as an important issue which will clash with one-child policy.
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Q9. Would one-child policy lead to excess of males, thus creating a gender imbalance?
Total
No opinion Group B No Yes
Group A
0
5
10
15
20
25
Figure: 9
Gender imbalance was also mentioned in the hypothesis as an important aspect that is likely to occur if one-child policy is implemented. In China gender imbalance is termed to occur as a consequence of implementing one-child policy. The traditional preference for boys has meant sex-selected abortions resulting in an acute gender imbalance. Today, men in China outnumber women by 37 million (Parker, 2209). Similar things are likely to occur in Bangladesh as well because the literacy rate in Bangladesh is very poor at around 62.4%. Most of the people in Bangladesh desire for a male child so an imbalance in gender is likely to occur. The response that came out from the survey supported the hypothesis. Overall 21 respondents felt that the implementation of one-child policy is likely to have gender imbalance. The overall percentage of affirmative response is around 42%. The response for option ?Yes‘ was nearly identical for both Group A & Group B.
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Q10. What factors, according to you, will mostly hinder the implementation of one-child policy in Bangladesh?
30 25 20 15
10 16
26
10
5
8 6 1 2 3 1 4 2 5
8 3
5 0
Group A Religion Law & Order
GroupB Financial situation Figure: 10
Total Society Others
This question was asked to find out the hindrance that one-child policy will face if implemented in Bangladesh. After analyzing the responses it is seen that ?society‘ is the most popular response between both the age groups with an overall percentage of 52%. On the other hand ?Law & order‘ seems to be the option with lowest response from both the age groups. When segregated between the age groups it is seen that ?society‘ is the most dominant response in Group A with 16 responses and in Group B with 10 responses. According to the respondents the other two options ?Religion‘ & ?Financial situation‘ didn‘t turn up to be a major hindrance for implementing one-child policy in Bangladesh. There was another option ?Others‘ and it had only 3 responses. The factors that were suggested by the respondents as a major hindrance are: proper planning and implementation, knowledge of people, bureaucracy and corrupted mindsets of the politicians.
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Q11. Do you think that Bangladesh being a democratic country is also an obstruction towards the implementation of this policy?
Total
I don't know
Group B No Yes
Group A
0
5
10
15 Figure: 11
20
25
China, the only implementer of one-child policy, can pass any policy as the general public has very minimal rights to raise their voice against the government. But the scenario is not the same here in Bangladesh. Every 5 years the general public has the right to elect their government. So any government will not want to implement any policy which will go against the will of the people. The responses that came out from the survey also prove this point of my hypothesis. Out of the total 25 responses of option ?Yes‘ Group A gave 17 whereas Group B gave only 8 responses. Out of the total 11 responses of option ?No‘ only one response was from Group A. In Group A the highest % of respondents opted for ?Yes‘- 68% and in Group B the highest % of respondents opted for ?No‘- 40%. This response shows that unlike most other questions there was major difference in mindset between the younger and the older generation for this response.
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Q12. Are you interested in implementing one-child policy in your own family?
One-child policy at home
30 26 25
20 15 15 32% 52% 16% Yes No I'm not sure 5 10 6 4 4 11 10 8 16
0 Group A Yes Group B No Total
I'm not sure
Figure: 12
The last question of the survey was asked to find out how the respondents will act or have acted in their family. The response from the survey shows that 52% of the respondents will implement one-child policy in their own family. On the other hand equal number of respondents from Group A and Group B will not implement one-child policy. 20% of the respondents are not sure about their decision. 16 overall responses of the option ?I‘m not sure‘ probably indicate that the respondents were not sure of their decision. The overall results give some idea that the people of Bangladesh will accept this policy which certainly does go against my hypothesis.
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Secondary Data Presentation & Analysis
1. Books
Jian, M. (2002). China's Barbaric One-child Policy. The Dark Road (pp. 143). Beijing, China: Worth.
In this section of the book, entitled China's barbaric one-child policy, the author explains that for more than 30 years, China has upheld a strict one-child policy. Despite the country's growing prosperity, novelist Ma Jian discovered that ruthless squads still brutally enforce the law with vast fines – and compulsory sterilizations and abortions. There was a woman who was forced to abort her baby nine months into her pregnancy.
This section of the book strongly proves my hypothesis. In my hypothesis, I mentioned that Bangladesh government will not implement a policy which will go against the sentiment of public. This article gave some guidelines about how barbaric one child policy was in China. Thus my hypothesis was proved right from this section taken from a book.
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2. Online Journal:
Kiffling, D. (2012, October 31). China think-tank urges end of one-child policy. The Guardian,
29, 435-455. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/31/china-
thinktank- abolition -one-child-policy.
In this article, foundation close to central leadership urges end to birth limits policy across China by 2015, with experts saying reform is 'inevitable'. A Chinese government think-tank is urging the country's leaders to start phasing out its one-child policy immediately and allow two children for every family by 2015, a daring proposal to do away with the unpopular policy. Some demographers view the timeline put forward by the China Development Research Foundation as a bold move by a body close to the central leadership. Others warn that the gradual approach, if implemented, would still be insufficient to help correct the problems that China's strict birth limits have created.
This online article has also proved my hypothesis as it talked in support of a point of my hypothesis that it will be difficult to implement the policy in Bangladesh. With some factual data and good explanation, this article provided enough support to prove my hypothesis.
26
3. Blogs:
Rustic, A. (2014, February 4). Reward system to enforce one- child policy [Web log post]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.allgirlsallowed.org/one-child-policy
This blogs portrays that the One-Child Policy restricts the majority of Chinese families to one child each. The consequences of having a child without a birth permit vary by province, with fines reaching as high as several times the average annual income. To enforce the One-Child Policy, the Chinese government uses a quota reward system for Planning Officials who carry out the birth control policies. If they do not meet these quotas, they are either punished or lose the opportunity to earn promotions. The policy continues to be a major concern for parents who are at the mercy of local officials to approve their eligibility for exemptions.
This is one blog writing which talked against my hypothesis. In this writing, the blogger mentioned how government incentives persuade one- child policy in a person‘s life. He also said that it has very good effect on people‘s health. Thus, no point of my hypothesis was proved according to this particular article.
27
4. Video:
Fuzung, C. (Writer), & Crawford, M. (Director). (2013, October 22). China's One Child Policy
[Video file]. Retrieved from
This video gives a very in-depth explanation about the history of one child policy and its effect on the general people. The One Child Policy was created after Chairman Mao launched a campaign to encourage families to have more children, leading to birthrates of over 4 children per family. At the same time, there was a food shortage that resulted in part from Mao‘s failed economic-planning of the Great Leap Forward, during which 30 million Chinese died of manmade famine. As a result, a coercive policy was born that would impact the most intimate aspect of every Chinese citizen's life.
From this video clip, my hypothesis has been proved right. As this clip is like a documentary which shows that what happens to a person if he has no family planning and don‘t know about one- child policy. It also showed how this situation becomes miserable to a family. Hence, my hypothesis is proved.
28
5. Online Newspapers:
Sheridan, M. (2013, November17). China Rules out Baby Boom as One-Child Policy Is Eased. The Sunday Times. Retrieved fromhttp://www.thesundaytimes.com.uk/sto/news/world_ news/Asia/article1341513.ece
This article talks about Chinese officials have moved swiftly to play down expectations that changes to the country‘s ?one child? policy will usher in a baby boom in the world‘s most populous country. A loosening of curbs on family size was the most headline-grabbing change to emerge after a key closed-door conclave of the ruling Communist party. At present, most citydwellers are forbidden to have more than one child, but there are exceptions for country-dwellers whose first child is a girl and for parents who are themselves only children. The latter exception will now be extended to couples of whom only one partner is a single child.
Based on the arguments mentioned in this source, I conclude that my hypothesis that was restricting the number of children in a country which a poor literacy rate thus been proved. In this article, we can see that there are references to different sociologists also who told the very same thing. Hence it supports my hypothesis completely.
29
6. Online Magazine:
Daniela, D. (1992). The Little Emperors. Los Angeles Times, 16(6). Retrieved fromhttp://articles.latimes.com/1992-07-26/magazine/tm-5347_1_oneChild-policy/3.
This article is about a generation of spoiled brats, a tidal wave of abortions and thousands of missing girls which are some of the unintended consequences of China's revolutionary one-child policy. The need for family planning is obvious in the cities, where living space is limited and the one-child policy is strictly enforced and largely successful. City dwellers are slowly beginning to accept the notion that smaller families are better for the country, although most would certainly want two children if they could have them. The government seems aware of the pressure its policies put on expectant parents, and the painful results, but has not shown any flexibility. Too many female embryos were being aborted for this reason.
Based on all the quotes and references put in this magazine article, I will again conclude that my research hypothesis has been proved here again. This article talked about different difficulties to implement one- child policy. Thus my point has been supported.
30
7. Online Reference Work:
Tain, Z. (March 1983). Studying Marxist theory on population and initiating a new situation in demographic research. Renkou Yanjiu (2): 13–4. PMID 12313010. Retrieved fromhttp://www.demographic research.com/science/referenceworks/3459871256.
It is reported that the focus of China on population control helps provide a better health service for women and a reduction in the risks of death and injury associated with pregnancy. At family planning offices, women receive free contraception and pre-natal classes. Help is provided for pregnant women to closely monitor their health. In various places in China, the government rolled out a ?Care for Girls‘ program, which aims at eliminating cultural discrimination against girls in rural and underdeveloped areas through subsidies and education.
This reference work also proved my hypothesis. Because in this reference, they came into a conclusion that one child policy can control birth rate which is effective to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. So, another point of my hypothesis was proved.
31
8. Article in an Online Journal:
Koetsier, J. (2013, April 26). Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (August 1995). Social Psychology:New Research, 113120. Retrieved 27 October 2008. SectionIII paragraph 2. Retrieved from http:/ /www. fmprc. gov. cn/ ce/ celt/ eng/ zt/ zfbps/ t125241/
This article gives the introduction of the one-child policy, the fertility rate in China fell from over three births per woman in 1980 (already a sharp reduction from more than five births per woman in the early 1970s) to approximately 1.8 births in 2008. Chinese authorities thus consider the policy as a great success in helping to implement China's current economic growth. The reduction in the fertility rate and thus population growth has reduced the severity of problems that come with overpopulation.
This secondary source has proved in my hypothesis. It proved that one child policy is the only way to control the population growth in a country.
32
9. Article from a database:
Scheuer, J. (1987). Status of Population and Family Planning Programme in China by Province. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific report, 101, 56. Retrieved from http:/ / www. unescap. org/ esid/ psis/ population/ database/ chinadata/ intro/
This article portrays that the single child policy was introduced to help stop the fast growth of China's population. Xiao Di's family is part of China's rich middle class and their ambitions and attitudes are similar to those of Western families: they want him to be happy, to have friends, to do well at school and to be healthy. Unlike their own generation, they don't want him to be duty-bound to caring for them in their old age. Having a single child has allowed them to devote more time to him, but they feel that having brothers or sisters would benefit Xiao Di socially and emotionally. This clip is only available as Flash and Windows Media versions.
This online article has also proved my hypothesis as it talked in support of a point of my hypothesis that one- child policy increases economic growth by concerning families about their only one child. With some motivational support with good explanation, this article thus provided enough support to prove my hypothesis.
33
10. Movie:
Kingsley, B. (Director). (2007). The China Syndrome. China's Stolen Children [DVD]. United Kingdom: Home Theatre. Available from http:// www.imdb.com/title/ tt1126492/
The movie depicts that the same team returns to a very different China where the infamous One Child Policy has had the horrific side effect of a boom in stolen children. Devastated parents were desperately searching for their stolen sons and prospective parents grappling with giving up their soon-to-be-born daughter through lack of options. There were face to face with the crisis that such a stringent government policy has created among China's poorest people. A place where girl babies are being sold for 3,000-4,000 RMB (£200-270); that they allow the film-makers to covertly record them buying and selling tiny human lives. Tens of thousands of children are now kidnapped and traded on the black market.
This is a compare and contrast type movie on the risks factors of one- child policy that the parents have chance to lose their only child. It focused on the negative effects of one child policy and so my hypothesis was proved. This movie also talked about the blessing side of government initiatives. So my hypothesis was proved wrong.
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Summary of Research findings
After conducting both the primary and secondary research it was very much prevalent that Bangladeshi people will accept one-child policy in order to reduce the population growth that currently exists in the country. Initially from the secondary research it was found that Bangladesh was suffering from the wrath of the rapid increase in population and was desperately searching for a way out of it. In the primary research it was found that the general public of Bangladesh was aware of the current situation and they were viewing one-child policy as a probable solution of their problem. 72% of the entire respondents termed one-child policy as an effective means to curb the population growth of Bangladesh. And a majority of the respondents also wants government to provide incentive in order to initiate this policy. This response clearly opposes the hypothesis.
In the secondary research it was also found out how the one-child policy was initiated in its country of birth i.e. China. The benefits and drawbacks of one-child policy were also mentioned. And in the survey it showed from the responses of people that they feel that despite having several drawbacks and hindrance such as religion, society, gender imbalance etc this policy will be successful in reducing the population growth of Bangladesh.
The second part of the research was done to find out whether there is any difference between generations regarding the initiation of one-child policy. But after conducting and analyzing the primary research by segregating the respondents in to two separate age groups it was found out that not much of a difference lies between the respondents of two different age groups. Although
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there were few differences regarding some responses, any concrete disagreements between the two generations could not be derived from the research.
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Limitations
Although I did not find any difficulty in finding the secondary data needed to complete the project, I had faced a lot of problems while collecting the primary ones. Students of North South University have helped me a lot to fill up the survey questions. But the research required at least fifty responses. So I decided to knock my friends online. The bitter truth is, I had invited 171 people to fill out the survey form, but only 19 of them came forward to help. Many of them ignored the message and left the thread, and many haven‘t even checked it yet!
If I had more time, I would definitely have tried to interview more people which would have given us a much better idea. Maybe I would try to reach people living in China through online, and ask about their opinions on the show, too. And maybe I would wander around not only the Dhaka city but also other districts like Chittagong, Rajshahi, Comilla, Sylhet, and Barisal too. This would have made my research unique and I could make it more reliable.
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Conclusion
This entire research was conducted in order to find out whether one-child policy is an answer to the population queries that the country is currently facing. And also whether there are any differences between generations regarding this policy. From the outcome of the research it was seen that the people of Bangladesh see one-child policy as an effective way to curb the population. Although the respondents have termed a few drawbacks of one-child policy such as gender imbalance, religious issues etc. a major proportion of them have also stated that they have or will implement one-child policy in their own family.
The outcome of the survey also states that the differences between the two generations regarding the implementation of one-child policy were not very much prevalent. Thus the hypothesis that was stated in the earlier part of the research did not match with the actual outcome of the research. According to the outcome of the research this policy will be accepted by the people of Bangladesh so it can be used in order to reduce the population growth of Bangladesh.
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References
Jian, M. (2002). China's Barbaric One-child Policy. The Dark Road (pp. 143). Beijing, China: Worth.
Kiffling, D. (2012, October 31). China think-tank urges end of one-child policy. The Guardian,
29, 435-455. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/31/china-
thinktank- abolition -one-child-policy.
Rustic, A. (2014, February 4). Reward system to enforce one- child policy [Web log post]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.allgirlsallowed.org/one-child-policy
Fuzung, C. (Writer), & Crawford, M. (Director). (2013, October 22). China's One Child Policy
[Video file]. Retrieved from
Sheridan, M. (2013, November17). China Rules out Baby Boom as One-Child Policy Is Eased. The Sunday Times. Retrieved fromhttp://www.thesundaytimes.com.uk/sto/news/world_ news/Asia/article1341513.ece
Daniela, D. (1992). The Little Emperors. Los Angeles Times, 16(6). Retrieved fromhttp://articles.latimes.com/1992-07-26/magazine/tm-5347_1_oneChild-policy/3.
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Tain, Z. (March 1983). Studying Marxist theory on population and initiating a new situation in demographic research. Renkou Yanjiu (2): 13–4. PMID 12313010. Retrieved fromhttp://www.demographic research.com/science/referenceworks/3459871256.
Koetsier, J. (2013, April 26). Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (August 1995). Social Psychology:New Research, 113120. Retrieved 27 October 2008. SectionIII paragraph 2. Retrieved from http:/ /www. fmprc. gov. cn/ ce/ celt/ eng/ zt/ zfbps/ t125241/
Scheuer, J. (1987). Status of Population and Family Planning Programme in China by Province. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific report, 101, 56. Retrieved from http:/ / www. unescap. org/ esid/ psis/ population/ database/ chinadata/ intro/
Kingsley, B. (Director). (2007). The China Syndrome. China's Stolen Children [DVD].
United Kingdom: Home Theatre. Available from http:// www.imdb.com/title/ tt1126492/
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Appendix
I have put all of my other materials related to this research in a brown envelop and sealed it. My appendix is the collection of all those materials. In my appendix I have included the following papers:
1. Research Topic paper
2. Research Proposal paper
3. Hand-written Questionnaire paper
4. Secondary Sources paper
5. Research Outline paper
6. A fresh copy of my printed Questionnaire
7. All the 50 surveys I conducted for this research
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doc_853666763.docx