Abstract
At the end of 2015, China put an end to the one-child policy (OCP), thereby terminating the largest family planning
program in human history. For nearly four decades it had shaped relations between generations and between men and
women to an extent never before seen. Today, China struggles with the unintended consequences of the OCP. It has
resulted in the so-called 4-2-1 family structure, in which the only children had four grandparents and two parents to care
for them when they grew up, but where they have to shoulder the care of four grandparents and two parents when they
come of age, because both cultural values and legal prescriptions foresee reciprocal care responsibilities between generations.
This has led to an enormous care deficit, which triggers conflicts between both genders and generations. A second
major unintended consequence has been a skewed gender ratio of only 18 women per 20 men because of the strong preference
for boys, which has led to so-called “bare branches:” Chinese men who are not able to find a spouse or have to rely
on “mail-order brides.” The paper concludes that the OCP has come to an end, but the unintended consequences prevail.
program in human history. For nearly four decades it had shaped relations between generations and between men and
women to an extent never before seen. Today, China struggles with the unintended consequences of the OCP. It has
resulted in the so-called 4-2-1 family structure, in which the only children had four grandparents and two parents to care
for them when they grew up, but where they have to shoulder the care of four grandparents and two parents when they
come of age, because both cultural values and legal prescriptions foresee reciprocal care responsibilities between generations.
This has led to an enormous care deficit, which triggers conflicts between both genders and generations. A second
major unintended consequence has been a skewed gender ratio of only 18 women per 20 men because of the strong preference
for boys, which has led to so-called “bare branches:” Chinese men who are not able to find a spouse or have to rely
on “mail-order brides.” The paper concludes that the OCP has come to an end, but the unintended consequences prevail.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Asian Social Work and Policy Review |
| Vol/bind | 10 |
| Udgave nummer | 3 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 326-338 |
| Antal sider | 13 |
| ISSN | 1753-1403 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 1 okt. 2016 |
Emneord
- Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet
- care arrangements in China; Chinese welfare state; Confucianism; one-child policy