Recently, a netizen shared a newspaper that had been sealed for a long time, which was instantly confusing.
Family planning is a major national issue for us.
In 2024, we often hear about negative population growth, marriage and fertility rates have dropped significantly, and the country is opening up the second and third children to encourage childbearing today.
What is it that makes our current situation so different from the past, let's analyze the reasons and look back at the past.
1. Historical review
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, everything in New China was built on the basis of poverty and whiteness, and there were many facilities for people's livelihood that we did not have.
At that time, we followed the steps of the big brother of the Soviet Union to the embrace of the socialist road, and many of our policies were closely followed by the Soviet Union.
The encouragement of childbearing and the constant reward of mothers with many children led to population growth, and we naturally followed suit and began to encourage more children.
There are also policies in place to limit birth control and abortion.
I believe that the older generation has some understanding.
In 1950, artificial birth control and abortion required the consent of the husband, and the abortion was allowed after a combination of the hospital certificate and the approval of the head of the agency.
In 1952, the Ministry of Health enacted regulations on birth control and abortion, and married women could only have birth control if they had a certificate that their birth was harmful to their health or that they had given birth to more than six children.
At the same time, the customs did not allow the import of contraceptives from abroad, and the production and sales of contraceptives were also strictly controlled by the state at that time.
After coming and going, the constraints of policies and human resources and social security, naturally, it is only a matter of time before the population growth explodes.
In 1953, when the country's first population census was conducted, the total population exceeded 600 million.
As soon as the data came out, it was a big surprise, at that time, New China had only been established for 4 years, and social resources were quite scarce. The contradictory gap between population and social resources is coming out immediately.
In 1956, the disadvantages of rapid population growth were immediately apparent, when the total grain production showed an increase, but at that time there were 80 million more people in China, and the per capita food was still pitiful.
The country's leaders immediately took it seriously, and birth control policies were introduced one after another, and it was not until 1957 that they were improved.
In 1970, China implemented a series of population control policies, mainly including the family planning policy, which is known as the one-child policy.
A couple can only have one child: Family planning policies stipulate that most couples can only have one child.
This restriction applies to most urban and urban dwellers, while in rural areas, some couples can have two children, subject to certain conditions.
In 1979, the Chinese government officially implemented the family planning policy, which aimed to control population growth.
Family planning certificate: Couples need to apply for a family planning certificate from the local family planning department after marriage. This document confirms that the couple meets the fertility limit and can only have one child at the time specified in the policy.
Fines and incentives: Families who violate family planning policies may face fines. The amount of the fine varies by region and can change over time. At the same time, the government has implemented financial incentives, including the provision of incentives and benefits, to encourage couples who comply with the policy.
Between 1980 and 1990, China's family planning policy was gradually implemented in full force.
Policy dissemination and awareness-raising: The government disseminates the importance and benefits of the family planning policy to the public nationwide through large-scale publicity and education campaigns. Propaganda means include radio, television, newspapers, posters, pamphlets, etc., as well as propaganda activities organized by governments at all levels and women's federations.
Popularization of family planning certificates: The government has introduced a family planning certificate system, requiring couples to apply for family planning certificates from the local family planning department after marriage.
This document confirms that the couple meets the fertility limit and can only have one child at the time specified in the policy. The popularity of family planning certificates has gradually increased, and it has become an important means of birth control.
Economic and welfare measures: The government has implemented a series of economic and welfare measures to encourage couples to comply with family planning policies.
This includes the provision of incentives and benefits such as incentive payments, maternity allowances, employment stability, and opportunities for advancement, among others.
At the same time, families who violate the policy may face fines and some restrictions.
Supervision and management: The government has established a family planning department to supervise and manage the implementation of family planning policies. These departments are responsible for issuing family planning certificates, collecting statistical data, conducting publicity and education, enforcing fines, etc., and coordinating with other government departments to ensure the implementation of policies.
Special Policies for Abnormal Situations: The government has formulated some special policies for special situations.
For example, in the case of a rural couple, if the first child is a girl, or in the case of certain ethnic minority couples, a second child may be born. The implementation of these special policies can vary from region to region.
In 2000, the Chinese government became aware of the problems that the family planning policy could cause and began to relax policy restrictions, allowing couples under certain conditions to have a second child.
In 2002, the government relaxed the family planning policy for the first time, allowing eligible rural couples to have a second child. Conditions include that both spouses are only children, that the first child is disabled or deceased, etc. This policy change aims to alleviate the labor shortage in rural areas and reduce the pressure on the aging rural population.
In 2016, the Chinese government officially implemented the two-child policy, allowing all couples to have a second child. This policy adjustment is to address population ageing and other socio-economic challenges in order to promote a balanced and sustainable demographic structure.
Scope of the policy: The full liberalization of the two-child policy applies to all couples, whether urban or rural, regardless of whether both parties are only children. Couples can decide for themselves whether or not to have a second child without prior application or permission.
Population planning management: Despite the liberalization of the two-child policy, China still retains the mechanism of population planning management.
Different regions and units may formulate specific population planning and management measures according to the actual situation, but the restrictions on childbirth have been relaxed as a whole.
Social support and welfare measures: In order to support the implementation of the full liberalization of the two-child policy, the government has provided a series of social support and welfare measures.
These include priority access to medical care, educational resources, tax breaks, maternity allowances, parental leave, and more to help couples raise a second child.
Gender balance measures: In order to prevent the recurrence of gender imbalance, the Government continues to strengthen the management of gender determination technology and to combat illegal gender identification and selective termination of pregnancy. At the same time, education and advocacy on gender equality have been strengthened to promote gender balance.
2. Trends in demographic change
According to the latest data, China's population growth rate has declined significantly over the past decade.
This is mainly due to the implementation of the family planning policy and the impact of the country's economic development, which has led to a gradual slowdown in population growth and achieved the goal of zero population growth.
At the same time, the proportion of the elderly population has gradually increased, and the demographic structure has undergone great changes.
However, it is important to note that the depopulation is not without its problems. In some regions and industries, labor shortages and increasing pressure on the elderly to provide for the elderly have become new challenges.
This has also brought new tests to future population policy and social development.
The government needs to find measures to solve the imbalance between labor supply and demand, and promote the rational allocation of human resources.
In addition, the welfare of the elderly should be strengthened, and appropriate pension services and medical security should be provided to meet the challenges brought about by the aging population.
In summary, China's demographic trends show a decline in population growth rate, an increase in the proportion of the elderly population, and demographic changes. In response to these changes, the government needs to formulate appropriate population policies and social development plans to ensure sustainable population development and social stability.
3. The future direction of the population
With the promotion of social changes and scientific and technological progress, the population issue will continue to have an impact on China's social and economic development.
According to experts' predictions, China's population will enter a stage of negative growth in the future, that is, the total population will gradually decrease. This will have far-reaching implications for all aspects of society.
In order to meet the demographic challenges ahead, the Chinese government needs to further improve relevant policies and measures.
First of all, we should strengthen the old-age service and care for the elderly population to provide them with better living security.
Second, it is necessary to strengthen the regulation and control of the labor market and improve the quality of the labor force in order to adapt to the changes in the labor market.
In addition, the education system should be strengthened to train more high-quality talents to prepare for future development.
Although the 2022 goal of zero population growth was not fully achieved, China's family planning policy has made important achievements over the past 20 years.
The Government has taken proactive measures in population management and has gradually adjusted its policies to meet social needs and economic development.
In the future, China will continue to make policy adjustments around population issues to adapt to social changes and economic development, and create better conditions for the sustainable development of the population.