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Basille Jimenez
Professor Jackie
English 115
1 November 2014
Title
Anu Liisanantti and Karin Beeses article on Chinas one child policy and how it relates
to sex selective abortion, or in other words called infanticide, claims that there a more than one
factor contributing to the preference of male children to female. Liisanantti and Beese both
oppose gender discrimination and the effects of gendercide. In their very first subcategory titled,
Womens Status in Chinese Society, Liisanantti and Beese state their argument. The main
argument proposes that womens status in Chinese society is far less than that of males, due to
traditional customs and culture; thus, the dominant need of giving birth to a male heir is apparent
in Chinas population. The statistical evidence of a skewed male to female ratio is an example of
Chinese traditions and its role in sex selective abortion. Furthermore, Beese and Liisanantti use
surveys and researchers facts to support their claim about Chinas birth rates and population
rate.
It is a well-known fact that Chinas population is quite large, housing over one billion
people. The countrys exponential population growth has caused some problems, such as
environmental degradation, which concerns environmentalists and other scientists who claim that
the rapid growth is bad. Also, as the population continued to grow rapidly, Chinese policymakers
acknowledged that they need to create policies that will limit fertility rates thus, the creation of
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Chinas one child policy. This policy limits couples to only having one child, however there are
certain situations in which a couple will be allowed to have another child. Such instances include
if the both parents are the only child, if the first born has a deficiency, or in rural areas if the first
born is a girl then couple can have another chance at having a boy. The policy, even though has
flaws, like fining couples, who tend to be poor, an extreme amount of money because they are
having an unplanned second child or encouraging couples to make sure their one and only child
is a boy to please themselves and their parents, has supporters nonetheless.
Proponents of Chinas one child policy claim that this rule creates structure and stability
through the endorsement of family planning. A big advertisement in Chinese society today is the
benefits of good family planning. Therefore, a good example of the desired family planning that
the Chinese government endorses in the one child policy is its ability to control family size,
meaning that it effectively addresses Chinas population growth problem by contributing to the
decrease of the countrys overall population. In addition, the unplanned birth fee that couples get
due to their poor family planning skills is quite reasonable because in the eyes of the
policymakers, those couples have committed an illegal crime. For instance, the Chinese
government specifically creates rewards and benefits to those couples who follow the rules.
Couples who abide by the policy receive an one child certificate, meaning that the family will
have a better lifestyle than those with two children. Those who are given this certificate have
higher wages and better healthcare and housing than the families who have more than one child,
this is also true for couples who have twins. The one child certificate is a lifesaver to poorer
families because of the increase in their income. Also, having one child saves parents money by
having to only pay once for a childs personal care and other essential needs, like schooling and
clothing. Moreover, economical support is not the only added bonus to having one child.
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Tradition, culture, and customs are three things that help define a country and her people.
In Chinese culture, having a son is praised while having a daughter is seen as a financial burden.
Traditionally, girls are expected to support her husbands parents; however, it seems that they
cannot support her own parents because she is dependent on her husband and his inheritance.
This dependence on men contributes to the lowly statuses of Chinese women, which also
contributes to the drastic wanting of having a son. In the eyes of Chinese society and many
others worldwide, only males can continue the patrilineal family line, meaning that there is a
male dominance in the country (Liisanantti and Beese). In addition, a traditional Chinese proverb
states that, Daughters are like water that splashes out of the family and cannot be gotten back
after marriage (Liisanantti and Beese). This proverb says that having a daughter will only mean
her disappearance after getting married and that her initial family will not get her back, she
solely belongs to her husbands family.
Traditions and culture are the foundation of societies; therefore, anyone rebelling or
opposing the norm means that he is a deviant and is assumedly a problem to society. In any
culture a deviant is looked down upon and in this instance, not wanting a son is a social deviant
in Chinese traditions. A son means that the family name will continue to live on. On the other
hand, the biggest problem with having daughters, in Chinese culture or in others around the
world, is that once she is married she no longer carries the family name nor does she solely
belong to her family. The daughter cannot inherit her familys titles and treasures either. This
tradition has been happening in China for a very long time and challenging the norm can
basically destroy what the Chinese culture has stood for. A countrys traditional customs defines
the history of her people and defying a solid foundation will lead to deconstruction. Furthermore,
the basic challenge to sex selective abortion is that women do not have a say if they want to keep
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their daughter because the husbands family will generally expect a boy. Nevertheless, a woman
does have a choice in what child she wants. Many Chinese women follow the safe and traditional
route of having a boy because they acknowledge the fact that only a son may inherit the familys
fortunes as well as having a better caregiver in the parents later years. Women have the right to
choose to have a son and since the one child policy limits the number of children a couple can
have, going through a sex selective abortion is the only way to ensure the womens preference
and happiness.
Gendercide is the outcome of sex selective abortion. Primarily in Chinese culture, the
rightful heir is the son; thus, the selection of giving birth to males is dominant to giving birth to
females. There are many opponents to this type of abortion because of the inhumane treatment to
girl babies. Nevertheless, it is the full choice of the woman and her husband to decide if they
want their only child to be a son. Also, the fees of having a second child is too daunting and
economically unsound, therefore the right child must be born so that the couple can avoid that
detrimental life path. The encouragement of family planning and government rewards are two
great ways for families to abide the policy and create a better lifestyle for themselves.

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Works Cited
Liisanantti, Anu, and Karin Beese. "China's One-Child Policy Has Contributed to the Abortion of
Girls." Gendercide. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing
Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Gendercide: The Missing Women." 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 3 Nov. 2014.