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Cited by 142Demographic Trends and Gender PreferencesReproductive Health and ContraceptionChina's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 15 of the 15 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Health in China: The one child family policy: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Open access
Hesketh, Therese, Zhu, Wei Xing·1997·BMJ
DOI 10.1136/bmj.314.7095.1685PMC PMC2126838
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Abstract

Rapid population growth in China during the 1950s and '60s led to the “late, long, few” policy of the 1970s and a dramatic reduction in the total fertility rate. However, population growth remained too high for the economic targets of Deng Xiao Ping's reforms, so the one child family policy was introduced in 1979 and has remained in force ever since. The strategy is different in urban and rural areas, and implementation varies from place to place depending on local conditions. The policy has been beneficial in terms of curbing population growth, aiding economic growth, and improving the health and welfare of women and children. On the negative side there are concerns about demographic and sex imbalance and the psychological effects for a generation of only children in the cities. The atrocities often associated with the policy, such as female infanticide, occur rarely now. China may relax the policy in the near future, probably allowing two children for everyone.

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Crossref · 10.1136/bmj.314.7095.1685

Cites

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  • Between 1970 and 1979, the largely voluntary 'late, long, few' policy had already resulted in a halving of China's total fertility rate, from 5.9 to 2.9.

    “Between 1970 and 1979, the largely voluntary 'late, long, few' policy, which called for later childbearing, greater spacing between children, and fewer children, had already resulted in a halving of the total fertility rate, from 5.9 to 2.9. 3”

    From The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years (2005) · cites this paper as [3]

    The ‘Late, long, few’ section says the policy called for later childbearing, longer spacing, and fewer children, and associates it with a fall from 5.93 children per woman in 1970 to 2.66 in 1979. The cited paper gives 2.66, not 2.9, and calls the programme ‘largely conventional’ rather than ‘largely voluntary.’ (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • In rural areas, where approximately 70 percent of the people live, a second child is generally allowed after five years, but this provision sometimes applies only if the first child is a girl.

    “In rural areas, where approximately 70 percent of the people live, a second child is generally allowed after five years, but this provision sometimes applies only if the first child is a girl - a clear acknowledgment of the traditional preference for boys. 3”

    From The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years (2005) · cites this paper as [3]

    In “How does it work?” (page not available), the paper says a second child is allowed after a five-year gap in most rural places if the first child is a girl; only in some areas does the first child’s sex not matter. The citing sentence reverses that emphasis by presenting the girl-only condition as occasional. The paper gives an urban population share of around 25%, not a rural share of approximately 70%. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Zhu W . China strives to limit population. China Population Today 1991;8(5):2.

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Metadata

Authors
Hesketh, T., & Zhu, W. X.
ORCID
Hesketh, Therese
Venue
BMJ
Publisher
BMJ
Published
1997-06-07
Volume
314
Issue
7095
Pages
1685
ISSN
  • 0007-1447 (ISSN-L)
  • 0959-8138
  • 1468-5833
DOI
10.1136/bmj.314.7095.1685
PMC
PMC2126838
OpenAlex
W1484987556
Cited by
142
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 9
FWCI
6.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.bmj.com/company/legal-information/terms-conditions/legal-information/tdm-licencepolicy (tdm)
Locations
  • BMJ (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
Keywords
one-child policy, family planning policy, population growth, total fertility rate, urban-rural differences, economic growth, women's health, child welfare, sex ratio imbalance, only children, female infanticide, policy relaxation, China
MeSH terms
Attitude, Child, China, Choice Behavior, Family Characteristics, Family Planning Services, Female, Health Policy, Humans, Male, Population Growth, Public Opinion, Risk Assessment

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