According to Kabeer (2000), China has one of the highest abandonment rates of children and girls with disabilities. As for history, China has undergone rapid changes over the past fifty years. Previously, China was a socialist country with limited connection to the rest of the world. Most of its leaders detested the idea of capitalism. As a result, governments of the time did little to control the vast nation's population. Over time, the population grew leading to overpopulation and the consequent excessive exploitation of economic resources. However, in the 1970s, the Chinese leadership realized that with such a large population, the nation would have difficulty developing economically. The government has introduced the one-child policy, with those who violate the rule liable to heavy fines. So far, the abandonment of disabled girls and children has affected a nation bound by strong social ties (Shang et al., 2011). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Neglect towards female children has been very prolific in China. Every day, law enforcement and ordinary citizens find aborted female fetuses in sewers, bathrooms, train stations, and other places discarded in trash cans (Kabeer, 2006). Furthermore, poor families who cannot afford ultrasound tests to determine the sex of their unborn child kill them at birth if the baby is a girl. Furthermore, most families have led to illegal adoption of their baby girls by mercilessly killing disabled children (Kabeer, 2006). Such levels of negligence can be attributed to social and economic factors plaguing China as it strives to develop, hence the need to control its population. (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). Accordingly, the study evaluates social factors such as culture and economic factors such as the role of the one-child policy in facilitating the abandonment of girls and disabled people in China. In 1971, the Chinese government adopted the draconian one-child policy (Bhattacharjya et al. , 2008). The policy followed a series of debates about how China's large population would affect China's economic prosperity (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). It turned out that the population was growing at a faster rate than the growth of the economy. China remained a communist country after World War II. As such, having many children has a certain social prestige. However, the increase in population has led to the reduction of arable land. As a result, poverty has become rampant in rural areas and access to decent basic services such as medicines and education has become impossible. As a result, the government formulated and implemented the one-child policy with the goal of keeping the population below 1.2 billion people by 2002. Although the policy has been highly successful in containing the population in China , had negative effects on girls' well-being. and disabled children, given the cultural orientation of Chinese society. According to the policy, having more than one child carried harsh penalties (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). The policy was so draconian that society would suffer if one of its own had more than one child. Furthermore, employees also had a moral obligation to ensure that none of their colleagues had more than one child, otherwise they would lose their jobs. Given the strict policy and patriarchal nature of Chinese society, most families preferred to give birth to a boy rather than a girl (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). FromAs a result, most families gave their daughters up for adoption for the chance of having a son. Others who failed to secure marriage left their disabled children on the side of the road hoping someone would save them (Kabeer, 2006). Furthermore, most families could not live with disabled children, as they did not have a secure future. As a result, most would kill them at birth and try to have a healthy child who can protect their old age (Kabeer, 2006). China is experiencing rapid growth due to globalization. Most multinational companies are setting up processing plants in the country to benefit from low labor costs (Kabeer, 2006). Subsequently there was an increase in commodity prices in the country due to the growing middle class. The cost of decent medicines and primary education is rising. International students have become commonplace in the country trying to equip themselves with better skills. However, the majority of Chinese remain relatively weak (Kabeer, 2006). Most Chinese live in rural areas where incomes are relatively low. However, rapid urbanization has not spared them as agriculture continues to bring poor returns (Kabeer, 2006). Therefore, most families have difficulty affording education finance. Therefore, due to a culture that values men more than women; girls suffer the hardest part, as boys always find favor in going to school (Kabeer, 2006). Likewise, most families view children with disabilities as an economic burden. The Chinese are hardworking. Therefore, the idea of caring for someone is not productive if far beyond the moral calling. Salaries in China remain relatively low despite the ever-rising cost of living. Therefore, the majority believes that caring for a child with disabilities is not worth it. As they grow, they may not keep up with the tough competition and demanding work environment. As a result, because China lacks welfare programs for the elderly and disabled, parents choose to get rid of disabled children. According to (Dowling; Brown, 2008) most parents are primarily concerned with their own old age. Traditionally, males are more likely to care for elderly mothers than females or disabled children. Therefore, with the rising cost of living, families need to have priorities when it comes to financial management. Healthy and capable boys always have priority, to the detriment of girls and disabled children. China lacks a unified welfare system that would help parents with disabled children to care for them easily (Emmett, 2006). Despite the rapid growth of the world's second-largest economy, China has devoted little financial resources to providing for its children with disabilities. (Dowling; brown, 2008) notes that China has numerous charitable funds and government-paid health insurance programs to help people with disabilities and the terminally ill. However, the system is fragmented and therefore not available to people of all social classes. In rural areas, most families find it difficult to access these funds to care for their disabled children. As a result, rather than suffer the frenzy, most choose to abandon their sick children in a safe system with authorities who will collect them before they die. However, authorities are trying to emphasize the installation of child safety systems with the necessary conditions that do not harm disabled children. The government official,according to Reuters, hopes the facilities will help reduce child injuries as current locking systems cause the deaths of 10% of all abandoned children (Dowling, 2008). Furthermore, the lack of unified welfare systems has deprived most nursing homes of much-needed resource services (Dowling, 2008). The government does not keep track of abandoned children, making it difficult to estimate the resources to be allocated. As a result, most rescue centers are turning to abandoned children, as they cannot accommodate them. Therefore, some parents continue to abandon these disadvantaged children in the strangest places to hide their guild. Emmett (2005) notes that Chinese culture has been largely patriarchal. Similar to other Asian cultures such as India, having a child in China is a noble cause (Kabeer, 2006). Confucius has great importance in Chinese culture (Kabeer, 2006). Philosophy highly values ancestral rites and family provisions as well as filial piety. According to the philosophy, everyone should learn to play their roles. The role of women remained mainly linked to kinship (Kabeer, 2006). As such, they had to accommodate what the men closely related to them needed. Furthermore, most Chinese families perceive men as heirs (Kabeer, 2006). Therefore, in most rural areas of China, giving birth to a girl remains just a social mockery. As a result, culture combined with other factors such as small family size and economic pressure have largely facilitated girls' abandonment. Most Chinese families have the ability to have only two children (Kabeer, 2006). However, since 1971, a family could only have one child. Therefore, most families preferred to have a boy rather than a girl. Chinese traditions see man as a way to extend the family dynasty. However, women are meant to get married. Therefore, any family without a male child was on the verge of extinction. Mencius, an ardent follower of Confucius, pointed out that the worst unfilial act was the lack of descendants. Therefore, most Chinese people still cherish these feelings. Therefore, most Chinese couples choose to abort their baby girl in an attempt to get pregnant again and try for a boy. However, most poor families in rural areas do not have the finances to pay for ultrasound tests. Therefore, most of them give their baby girl up for adoption, while some even poison or kill her intentionally. Kabeer (2006) exemplifies the hopelessness of the situation. The example tells of a woman entering her mud-walled house in a remote village in China. Find our men and his mother-in-law. She just delivered a baby girl at a local hospital. Learning that the child is a girl, all the men leave, including the husband. In agreement with the mother-in-law, they prepare a mixture of poison which they stuff down the child's throat. The woman later buries the child claiming that she bears no blame for their heinous act. China's population was largely uncontrolled in the 19th century. Most Chinese lived in rural areas where much land was available for cultivation. At the time, war with Japan was China's main concern (Dowling, 2008). During the war, many Chinese died on the battlefield reducing the population. However, after 1949, the peace experienced in the country encouraged population growth. As a result, people settled in rural areas and settled for cultivation. The land was wide and nourish the.
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