Women's History Month 2023
This month, we celebrate all the accomplishments of the women around us and continue advocating for gender equality in all aspects of life.
Originally published on March 26.
Slide text
Slide one:
Gender, Chinese Adoption & Reproductive Incentives. Women's History Month 2023.
Slide two: The one-child policy
In 1979, the Chinese government implemented a policy that only allowed couples to raise one child.
At the time, only boys could care for their parents in old age
This lead to a disproportionate number of girls left at orphanages and eventually placed for adoption
Slide three: Gender in China
The one-child policy was designed to curb the country's rapid population growth.
Today, China faces a large gender imbalance of boys to girls
Gender norms and expectations created this issue
Girls were expected to marry out of the family and not provide the same retirement security that a son would.
Slide four: Chinese adoptees
About 110,000 children have been adopted from China, with most going to the United States
The number of adopted girls greatly outnumbers that of adopted boys: 86% to 14%
Most girl Chinese adoptees were left as babies and adopted between the ages of 1-2.
Slide five:
Some gendered impacts of the one-child policy
Female babies were disproportionately subjected to abandonment and infanticide.
Women's reproductive rights were dictated for decades and many were forced to have sterilizations or abortions.
Large rise in female adoption to the United States.
Slide six: Current Chinese reproduction incentives & maternity status
China is creating economic and financial rewards for having children
Beijing is now offering incentives and rewards for married women having babies
Some think China may take motherhood into account when giving women promotions in the workplace
Slide seven: Sources
Constante, Agnes, "In Connecting Chinese Adoptees to Birth Families, Couple Makes Discovery About China's One-child Policy," NBC News, March 30, 2020.
Black, Kelly, "6 Statistics About China International Adoption," International Adoption, April 26, 2018.
Stevenson, Alexandra; Wang, Zixu. "China’s Population Falls, Heralding a Demographic Crisis." The New York Times, Jan 16, 2023.
Pletcher, Kenneth, "One-Child Policy," Encyclopedia Britannia.
Presse, Agence France, "China Unveils New Perks Aimed at Boosting Slowing Birth Rate," Barron's, Aug. 16, 2022.
Stevenson, Alexandra, "China Offers Women Perks for Having Babies. Single Moms Don’t Qualify," The New York Times, July 6, 2022.