Slide descriptions

  • 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 were expected to care for their parents in old age.

    This led to a disproportionate number of girls being 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 significant gender imbalance between boys and girls.

    Gender norms and expectations contributed to 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 adopted boys: 86% to 14%.

    Most Chinese girl adoptees were left as babies and adopted between the ages of one and two.
  • 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, with many forced to undergo sterilizations or abortions.

    There was a 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 for married women to have babies.

    Some believe China may begin factoring motherhood into workplace promotions for women.
  • 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 Britannica.

    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.