101 East

China: Unnatural Selection

101 East examines the social dilemmas arising from China's one-child policy.
101 East Last Modified: 22 Nov 2012 13:27

Filmmaker/Photos: Steve Nettleton

Thirty years after China introduced its one-child policy, there are growing calls to scrap the controversial system as the nation faces new social dilemmas.

In pictures: China's birth control

Today, China's fertility rate is below the replacement level, providing fewer workers to support a rapidly growing elderly population.

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And with a cultural preference for boys, China faces an alarming gender imbalance with projections of 30 million more men than women by 2020.

Officials have also been accused of excessively enforcing the policy, with forced abortions, discrimination and even confiscating children.

101 East asks if the days of China's one-child policy are coming to an end.

 
101 East airs each week at the following times GMT: Thursday: 2230; Friday: 0930; Saturday: 0330; Sunday: 1630.

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Source:
Al Jazeera
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