And the policy response to the response to policy is...
Crisis looms as 18 million Chinese can't find a wife"China is planning to tighten punishments for sex-selective abortions amid concerns that its widening gender imbalance will lead to wife trafficking, sexual crimes and social frustration...
"Nationwide, six males are born for every five females, far above the international average. With the gap growing every year as a result of increased access to ultrasound sex-checking technology, one senior official warned that China faces the 'most serious gender imbalance in the world'... state demographers forecast that 37 million men will be unable to find wives by 2020. Already there are 18 million more men than women of marriageable age...
"The authorities have found the gender balance harder to manage than restricting population growth itself. In 2003, the government introduced a 'Care for girls' policy, which provided incentives - such as tax breaks and exemptions from school and health fees - for families raising girls.
"It also intensified a propaganda campaign in the countryside, where many buildings are daubed with slogans proclaiming 'Girls are as valuable as boys'. Old-style propaganda campaigns are not working, however. This summer, the government said it will punish for the first time any medical institution that tells couples the sex of unborn babies..."
Labels: China, demographics, policy
posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:43 AM
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