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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: China's Campaign for 1-child families began in 1979 with the goal of limiting its population to 1.2 billion by the year 2000. The 1982 Census indicates that almost 1/2 the mothers between 20 and 29 had had only 1 child. The campaign has aroused considerable interest worldwide because most studies of 1-child families have been based on small samples, often in the US. This study compares the general rates of 1 child families in China and 60 other countries. Data were gathered from national censuses, UN demographic yearbooks, and some World Fertility Surveys and other sources. China's current 1-child family rate (12.5%) is relatively low compared with some developed countries, e.g. Hungary (25.0%), and the US (17.1%). 80% of countries have rates in the 10.0%-19.9% range. For less developed countries (LDCs), rates increase rapidly to age 20-24, declining slowly until age 40. Chinese rates are slightly less at most ages than the average LDC. In more developed countries, the decline begins after age group 25-29. The difference is likely to be due to the later age of marriage and longer birth intervals of women in the developed countries. The % of completed single child families (indicated by rates for women in their later reproductive years) for China are quite low compared to the other developing and developed countries. Despite publicity surrounding the China campaign, China has a considerable distance to go to approach developed nations such as Hungary and Romania.
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