Chinese Population Increase
China’s population is growing day after day. The country has the highest population worldwide with a large percentage having been felt over the last decade. The aging Chinese population is a cruel trouble led by random demographic changes that threaten the state’s economy as well as social dynamics (Wang 1-7). The demographic changes experienced could be attributed to the high number of internal immigrants, enhanced economy, and better social programs that improve the quality of life. This further raise the Chinese aging population, which pressures pension funds as well as healthcare. People above 60 years of age are less productive, whereas they require more support from relatives and the society. Therefore, the high speed at which the Chinese population is rising is unhealthy to the country’s economy, the job sector, and social support. This essay discusses the Chinese population rise, the associated problems, and the steps likely to deter further increase such as the legalization of gay marriages.
In recent times, demographic changes in some states are inevitable and unlikely to reverse due to continued humanitarian support. In china, the political arena has been guided by the need to practice legitimacy in support of the growing economic prospects sustained by cheap labor from an enthusiastic young people (Saka 137-149). The expanding Chinese population jeopardizes the jobs market probability to satisfy the young people. This is also characterized by the high poverty levels that developing countries experience due to the vicious cycle of poverty. On this note, the increasing growth rate attracts social problems such as illiteracy, joblessness, as well as inflation. As such, the underlying effects of an escalating growth rate will put the Chinese people next to being poor in the future, if feasible measures are not established and implemented. As well, an aging labor force has a great influence on the economic model making the political rule difficult. Thus, an aging leadership stresses the increase of pensions and bettered health care for the aged at the expense of development projects.
The rapid population increase in China is characterized by the mounting urbanization and industrial enterprise growths. Despite there being policies to control birth rate such as the one-child per family, the Chinese population increase is unbearable to the country’s economic and social prospects (Hou 70-80). Largely, rapid population growth intensified the already persisting resources challenge amidst the various national development institutes. Such challenges result in poor performances and could even lead to loss of jobs. Saka mentions that rapid populace growth in urban regions exerts pressure on land, thereby blocking access to water, food, and shelter (141). This is a serious problem for China, as it would negatively affect efficiency, social existence, and economic leadership. Moreover, the effects of an escalating population are also felt in the world economy given that global welfare is attached to discrete national development. Therefore, the aging Chinese populace promises a peaceful society locally and internationally. However, the fact that Chinese men might soon lack wives to marry due to old age raises social fears regarding the future of the country.
China’s mortality rate has drastically dropped, placing the country in the same level with the developed nations. The low mortality rate, high number of internal migrants, and the low fertility rate in the country have led to the rapid aging and urbanization aspects. As such, the remedial measures employed to resolve the problem should include intensive economic improvement plans to boost the labor market. This is because an aging population calls for immense resource allotments in the pension schemes, attainable by fostering a saving attitude amid younger generations (Wang 1-7). This means that China will be equipped enough to produce goods and services that would rather be imported if domestic opportunities were not fully exploited. Thus, the low size of the labor force and the growing elderly population threatens China’s future wealth. The one-child policy has seen the young populace decline considerably putting the labor market at risk of failure. As well, the country has had several misfortunes such as the Sichuan earthquake that left many children dead.
An aging population affects the Gross domestic product per capita given that the dependency ratio is higher than in assorted populations. Besides, an aging population burdens the social pension system with support funds for retirees (Saka 137-149). This is because very few people are employed to contribute enough in support of the elderly. The future Chinese generation is threatened by the relatively young age composition. A steady but considerable decrease in population, particularly with a consequent aging populace in the world’s richest countries, represents an exceptional shift that redefines the widespread demographic, economic, in addition to political setting (Hou 70-80). Even though Chinese one-child policy was set up as an emergency action to decelerate China’s population growth, and was meant to be applied for one generation, the regime has not yet indicated the readiness to phase it out.
The Chinese government needs to resolve the overpopulation problem earliest in order to deter the rising social and economic hardships. To attain this, the government should consider legalizing gay marriages to help reduce the number of children born at any given time. In addition to this, there could be family planning sensitization programs aimed at enhancing family contribution in the country’s economic plans. This would boost household incomes, thereby enabling each family to take care of aged members rather than relying wholly on the government. A number of observers have mentioned that the one-child rule per couple is the cause of the demographic changes experienced in China (Hou 70-80). However, it is clear that repealing the policy does not warrant an instant change in the aging population. Thus, even if lifting the policy is a long-term solution to the problem, taking short-term steps such as intensive investment would increase output and create a conducive Chinese society. The government needs to motivate technical innovation as well as enhance employee-training programs through entrepreneurial capacity in order to promote socio-economic welfare.
The short supply of labor resulted from an aging population may be mitigated by fully regulating the labor market. This means that every institution will have to play by the rules, thus creating a sense of control and accountability. As such, the informal employment practices such as poor remuneration would be eliminated, hence building trust amongst staff, which is vital in ensuring a productive workforce. An aging population reduces the amount of savings in financial institutions (Saka 137-149). Therefore, educating the young people about the importance of saving warrants enhanced economic growth due to investment stimulation and higher returns. Another step to support the Chinese aging population is the control of the country’s long life risks that involve social pension to ensure better support programs for the aged. Thus, an educated young people will help resolve the aging population crisis through innovation, sustaining an active labor force as well as decisively reviewing the Chinese social policies.
Works Cited
Hou, Liping. “Challenges and Opportunities: The Impacts of Population Aging on Marketing in China and the Chinese Economy.” International Journal of China Marketing 1.2 (2011): 70-80.
Saka, Abdulrasaki. “Urban Growth and the Environment in China: An Investigation.” Advances in Management and Applied Economics 4.1 (2014): 137-149.
Wang, Feng. “China’s population destiny: The looming crisis.” Washington, DC, Brookings, September (2010): 1-7.