China’s kneeling man: A result of the one-child policy?

By Ayobami Okerinde

While China enjoyed an economic boost, sustainability was always a question begging for an answer. The country saw a high increase in the number of retirees and a smaller number to fill the void. This led to a shrink in the labor force.

In a viral video that made the rounds some weeks ago, a Chinese man was captured kneeling in front of his ex-girlfriend’s office for 21 hours in a bid to get her back.

According to the South China Morning Post, the man knelt at the woman’s office in Dazhou, from 1 pm on March 28 to 10:00 am on March 29 to get her back.

A report like this is not new in China, and one begins to wonder how it started. In 2015 a Chinese businessman in his 40s reportedly sued an agency after an unsuccessful search for a girlfriend having paid around $1m to the company. In a similar vein, the Independent, in 2014 reported a viral story of a Chinese man who bought 99 iPhone 6s to propose to his girlfriend on Single’s Day and was rejected.

In China, there’s a big gender gap and gender imbalance between males and females. This has led to the popularization of the term “leftover men” which describes men who are within a certain age bracket and are unmarried. According to Statista, as of June 2021, there were about 55.6% of men and about 39% of women are single in China. A survey also concluded that by 2020, the country would have had 24 million men with no partner, and some fall the risk of not getting married in their lifetime.

China’s One-child Policy: In November 2022, the population of the world reached a record 8 billion people, and analysts have revealed that reaching more population milestones is going to get quicker than ever before. With a population of around 1.41 billion, the country accounts for around 18.47% of the total world population. To address the country’s growing population which was deemed “too rapid”, the Chinese government in 1979 introduced the one-child policy.

The One-child policy meant that there could only be one child per family, with few exceptions to individuals in the rural areas, who could have two based on certain factors. In 1980, the policy was fully implemented after the country’s population almost doubled within 30 years. Some of the reasons cited for the introduction of the policy were to curb China’s growing population, stimulate economic growth, and also to mitigate the food crises the country was facing at the time, as there was more population. The policy has over the years been described as “harsh” and “Strict”.

To ensure the policy was strictly followed, the Chinese government through the National Health and Family Planning introduced a series of measures. One of the measures introduced was to fine couples for having more than one child (without a permit). Also, there were often forced abortions for some couples to ensure total compliance. For those who complied some benefits include longer maternity leave, financial incentives, and preferential employment opportunities, among others. Any family who contravenes also saw the second child not registered and has no access to basic needs.

The policy no doubt left some implications on the sociocultural, and economic aspects of China. One of the effects was families having to hide their children. For such families, they resulted in having to hide their second child (or more) from the preying eyes of the government and this led to a high increase of children who were undocumented and couldn’t work legally. People also risked losing their jobs if they were found to have more than one child. The policy also saw a huge gap between China’s aging population and the working force. The country has a high percentage of aged people but a smaller population of young people who will take care of them. A study has revealed that by 2050, a third of China’s population will be above the age of 60.

In an extreme measure, the policy led to infanticide targeting girls. The preference for a male child was huge such that there was a rise in female fetus abortions. This saw many families abort their child once they discover that the child was a girl, especially for the first child. For those who couldn’t, they gave birth and abandoned them; this led to a rise in girl-child orphanages.

While China enjoyed an economic boost, sustainability was always a question begging for an answer. The country saw a high increase in the number of retirees and a smaller number to fill the void. This led to a shrink in the labor force.

Isolation, Loneliness, and Marriage Issues The onechild policy led to loneliness and isolation that affected the family structure. For most families with one child and most preferably male, the child grew up without any siblings and thus affected social interaction. For the parents, as the nature of education and opportunities around the world broadened and increased, young individuals in the country migrated to other cities and left their parents with no one to relate with (physically).

The effect of the one-child policy has also led to an increase in dating sites and apps in the country. Most of these apps offer to fill the void and some also promise to help with marriage. Some of the apps include Momo, Tantan Soul, Hertz, Zhiya, and others; with these apps having as high as 59 million active users monthly. According to Statista, the dating market is set to hit $290m in revenues by 2024.

The end, but the problem continues After over three decades, China abolished its one-child policy in 2016 with a two-child policy to address issues. However, the policy generated the much-desired result in the country. The birth rates are not increasing and the gap between the aging population and the young population hasn’t reduced. The country is now tilted towards a three-child policy to address the issues. Despite this, about 0.8% of the country’s women are willing to have a third child, because of the “extra burden.”

China’s one-child policy will be regarded as a lesson for governments around the world on a rushed and a policy not well thought of.