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Aine R. Mills
Professor Cassandra DAlessio
UWRT 1102-023
7 April 2016
Feminism, Reproductive Rights, and Chinas One Child Policy
Feminism is an important global topic, with strong and differing nuances and topics
depending on what country and culture you are discussing. An overlapping issue found in many
cultures is the topic of womens reproductive rights; this encompasses topics such as abortion,
prostitution, and genital mutilation. Within this vein is Chinas one-child policy, a law restricting
how many children a couple may conceive-a clear violation of a womens body and her
reproductive rights. Through recent printed publications, documentaries, and statistical studies, I
plan to showcase Chinas one child policy through the lens of feministic commentary, and
discuss the infringement on Chinese womens basic reproductive rights in the modern age.
My research into the one child policy has opened my eyes to the injustice being
perpetuated by lawmakers in china. While this policy is a tragedy that effects everyone within
the country, women are disproportionately victimized because of it. When women are targeted
specifically and mistreated, the issue not only becomes an ethical one, but a feminist one as well.
The policy allows the government to have an absurdly large amount of autonomy over each and
every womens body, and her decisions regarding her body. Most resources Ive gathered have
understandably cast this policy in a negative light-not hard to do when merely stating the facts of
the situation calls to mind a dystopian society better suited to the pages of fiction novels.
Unfortunately, the laws are all too real and effecting the lives of women and young girls every

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day. I have come across arguments for the policy however. In One Child: The Story of China's
Most Radical Experiment author Mei Fong cited Charles Clement, Diane Francis, and Malcolm
Potts as supportive endorsers of the policy, who suggest governments worldwide should adopt
similar policies. I can only assume this misguided support stems from the circulation and
absorption of biased information that portrays this policy as somehow singlehandedly
diminishing Chinas overpopulation crisis. However, recorded data shows that while China did
hit a peak fertility rate before the policy was enacted, it had reduced to around half that amount
without any government enforced family planning just before the 1980s, when the policy came
into effect (Al Jazeera English). Most critics now see the policy as an unnecessary hardship
placed on the Chinese people, especially women. Fines, financial coercion, forced abortion and
sterilization, and an increasing age gap between men and women are only a few of the issues that
are plaguing the women of china in todays modern age. China has recently, in 2015, amended
the one child policy to now allow families two children (Buckley). Though this is a step in the
right direction, this issue wont truly be resolved until women are allowed full freedom over their
bodies and their reproductive rights.
Family size, fertility preferences, and sex ratio in China in the era of the one child family
policy: results from national family planning and reproductive health survey examines the effects
the one child policy has on preferred family size, fertility, and the sex ration as a result of the
policy. Information garnered through data extrapolation of birth rates and gender data gathered
through census show that the policy, as well as many traditional views on gender, has caused a
gross imbalance in the sex ratio. A similar study, entitled Chinas excess males, sex selective
abortion, and one child policy: analysis of data from 2005 national intercensus survey delve into
this topic as well, bringing to the table more information regarding practices such as selective

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abortion. Many families try to follow the at least one son practice which, under chinas one
child policy, would coerce many parents to terminate a female fetus to ensure they can still have
a son. There is compelling evidence of an increasing gender imbalance prevailing in modern day
china. This problem only seems to be growing steadily as time goes on. This Fact driven rhetoric,
while sometimes hard to parse, makes for persuasive argument against one child policy and
brings to light fundamental gender inequality within chinas social structure and society. Studies
such as these are extremely helpful in the fight against gender discrimination within the policy
through showing clearly the facts of a broken system, which cannot be easily refuted and hidden
by propaganda. While not a prevailingly feministic group of articles, the facts presented still
showcase a clear case of gender bias the one child policy has perpetuated for the past 30 years,
which is certainly a feminist issue.
A comprehensive Printed publication regarding the one child policy and its effects on
women is One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment. It addresses many key
issues of the infringement on womens rights in the modern day, having been published in 2016,
and takes a deeply rooted feminist stance opposing it. Fong stresses that the policy has hindered
Chinas future growth instead of helping it, as many Chinese officials and sympathizers will
claim, creating a population that is too old, to male, and, quite possibly, too few. The policy
itself still finds supporters across the world today- Fong cites Berkley academic Malcolm Potts
as regarding the one child policy as one of the most important social policies ever
implemented. I couldnt disagree more with a statement if I tried. A policy that allowed one
family planning official to authorize 1,500 forced abortions, about a third during late term
pregnancies, that has so infringed on a womans rights in this way, appalls me not only as
feminist, but as a human being. Many of my own stances and viewpoints regarding this issue are

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fueled from these testimonies, interviews, and personal accounts. No holds are barred in this
book, and it leads its own personal attack on the one child policy, exposing its fallout, its hand in
perpetuating gender discrimination, its violence against women and their families, etc. These
book looks to give voices to the women of China that have been silenced, forbidden to
challenge the states narratives, policies, and programs on this issue that so deeply effects their
lives (Greenhalgh 852). I believe this to be some of the most valuable and convincing reading
material I have found that showcases the one child policy for what it is, and how deeply it has
effected womens lives all across in china.
Documentaries are a powerful medium to showcase hardship, and the real effects
situations can have on people. They act as windows into an individuals life and situation, giving
us insight that we miss in purely written pieces. They can also be used to showcase both sides of
an issue in a compelling way. The documentary Mothers, Ma ma de cun Zhuang does just this,
showcasing not only video footage of a mother struggling to legitimize her second child
existence, but also of the government employees tasked with upholding the family planning
laws. "We're just scared of losing our jobs. Do you think I am really committed to this?" I enjoy
seeing this type of exploration into topics that can have such a grey area like this one does. One
side wants the freedom of autonomy over their own bodies, families, and lives. The other side
simply wants to make a living and keep their job, avoid repercussions. Documentaries such as
these amazingly showcase just how much and how deeply this policies effecting peoples livesfrom the government enforces convinced they are serving their country in an honorable way, the
woman all across china that have grievously effected. Another documentary that explores the
dual sides surrounding the policy is China One Child Policy GCSE Geography Edexcel B. It
strives to give information on both sides of the argument, but it is rather plain to see that the

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infringements on the peoples rights far outweighs many of the governments touted success
stories. Documentaries allow for a much more truthful and frank feeling. Showcased when an
interview of a family planning official is interrupted and ended when the interviewer pressed on
the measures the organization takes with people who go against the law. What can be
extrapolated from this is that many people are disproportionately punished, for breaking the law
as well as to act as examples for others who may be tempted. Bribes are commonly accepted to
determine the sex of a child through sonogram, and abortions are common if it is a girl. Many
women are still forced into abortions through coercion and strong arm tactics that leave them no
choice. 101 East - China: Unnatural Selection showcases similar situations, as well as data to
refute the creation of the one-child policy in the first place. It is troubling and heart breaking to
see real people struggle through their lives as they live under the shadow of the oppressive one
child policy. I hope that the publication and distribution of these documentaries help more people
to see the reality of what the policy has wrought, and how many womens lives it has controlled
and ruined-effecting not only this generation, but for many generations to come.
The one child policy is a complex web of issues that has no one solution. While there
have been documented positive effects for some because of the policies implementation, the
gathered data suggests that the treatment of a majority of women, especially those in poverty,
and the atrocities they face at the hands of this policy far outweigh many of the pros. Women and
their families are specifically targeted, and such a breach on basic human rights lands the
discussion of the policy within Feminist territory. The policy has been covered through a wide
variety of genres, each bringing new information to light, as well as new points of view. A full
picture of the effects of the one child policy can only truly be achieved by seeing it through many
different eyes and genres. The policy has caused much tragedy and strain for many Chinese

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women, which cant simply be healed through the repeal of the plan. The change in the policy to
allow for two children leads to more problems and questions than it solves or answers. Where
will Chinas society go from here, and how will the extreme loss of generations of people effect
the countries future? The only thing we can say for sure is that the radical experiment has left
deep gauges in chinas society, ones which will continue to fester for many generations to come.

Works Cited

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Buckley, Chris. "China Ends One-Child Policy, Allowing Families Two Children." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Ding, Qu Jian, and Therese Hesketh. Family Size, Fertility Preferences, and Sex Ratio in China
in the Era of the One Child Family Policy: Results from National Family Planning and
Reproductive Health Survey. BMJ: British Medical Journal 333.7564 (2006): 371
373. PMC. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Al Jazeera English. 101 East - China: Unnatural Selection. Online video clip. YouTube.
YouTube, 6 January 2012. Web. 16 March 2016.
Fong, Mei. One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment. , 2016. Print.
Greenhalgh, Susan. "Fresh Winds in Beijing: Chinese Feminists Speak Out on the One-Child
Policy and Women's Lives." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society. 26.3 (2001).
Print.
Hershatter, Gail. Women in China's Long Twentieth Century. Berkeley: Global, Area, and
International Archive, 2007. Internet resource.
Robnwcc. China One Child Policy GCSE Geography Edexcel B. Online video clip. YouTube.
YouTtube, 28 February 2014. Web. 16 March 2016
Xu, Huijing, Xianbin Jiang, Zhiqiang Hao, Zhaowei Zhang, Lingzhen Chen, and Qi Liu.
Mothers =: Ma Ma De Cun Zhuang. , dGenerate Films, Inc. : Icarus Films, [New York,
N.Y.] : Icarus Films 2013. 2012

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Zhu Wei Xing, Lu Li, Hesketh Therese. Chinas excess males, sex selective abortion, and one
child policy: analysis of data from 2005 national intercensus
survey BMJ 2009; 338 :b1211. Web. 16 Mar. 2016