China's One-Child Policy
Before implementing the birth control campaign, Chinese Communist Party
Chairman Mao Zedong had actually encouraged large families by providing
food subsidies as well as wet nurses during his first five-year plan.
At that time, families had up to 10 children, believing that more children
would mean greater prosperity, not to mention extra hands to help out
around the house or in the fields. When Mao realized that the population of China was multiplying at alarming
rates, he launched the first of all birth control campaigns during his
Great Leap Forward to transform China from an agricultural to an industrial
nation. Although the Great Leap Forward in terms of economic success is
questionable, the birth control was relatively successful. The one-child
policy had exceptions, however, By 1970s, officials in some provinces
permitted the birth of a second baby, especially if the first child was
a girl (viewed at that time as a disadvantage, especially in rural areas)
or was handicapped. In 1979, China had a slogan called "One Couple, One Child"
which showcased China's national campaign for birth control. During that
time, China had an average of 2.3 children per couple, but the end of
the 20th century brought the rate down to an estimated 1.9 children per
couple.
