With China worried that it does not have enough girls, the
central government is implementing new policies to counter the
country's worsening gender imbalance.
A nationwide "caring for girls" campaign, speared by the central
government's determination to narrow the imbalance over the next
three to five years, has captured public attention.
"The Chinese government has started to lavish more care on
daughter-only families," said Zhang Jian, head of publicity at the
State Population and Family Planning Commission, the sponsor of the
campaign.
The campaign has been launched in 24 counties where there is a
serious gender imbalance.
Families with no sons will receive an annual allowance of 600
yuan (about US$75) if the parents are over 60 years old. The
average yearly income of families in these counties is around 2,000
yuan (about US$250).
Daughter-only families will also get preferential loans to help
them with agricultural production, Zhang said.
Only daughters will be given bonus marks when they take college
entrance examinations and are promised "special treatment" when
looking for jobs.
Huang Tianyi, a farmer in South China's Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, said he has benefited from the campaign.
His two-daughter family was poverty-stricken until the local
government launched the "caring for girls" campaign.
With financial and technological help from the government, Huang
opened a cow farm in 2004. Last year family revenues topped 5,000
yuan (about US$625), double the figure three years ago.
"I am no longer ashamed to have daughters," said Huang. "We are
earning more now and this year I will find a good young man to be
my son-in-law."
The gender imbalance reflects a deep-rooted view among Chinese
people, dating back thousands of years, that men are superior to
women.
China's fifth population census in 2000 showed the ratio between
newborn boys and girls was 117:100, considerably higher than the
normal ratio of 103-107:100.
A sample survey carried out last year, which showed the gap had
blown out to 118.58:100, has triggered government action.
Zhang said the imbalance could not be put down to China's
population policies.
Imbalances have also occurred in countries like the Republic of
Korea and India, which do not have a family planning program like
China's, the official said.
Statistics from the State Population and Family Planning
Commission show that the ratio between newborn boys and girls in
the 24 counties where the campaign has been implemented has gone
down from 133.8:100 to 119.6:100.
Zhang said the commission is considering extending the campaign
to other places this year.
"China has focused too much on controlling population numbers,
now it is time to focus on the structure of the population."
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2006)