Major Events
The 1980s saw the beginning of massive, economic reforms as part of the Post-Mao Era under the rule of Deng Xiaoping. In the early 1980s, the Chinese government began testing a decentralized business structure among a few hundred businesses. This meant that these business would be given decision-making power and would not be primarily owned by the government as businesses had been under Mao (Brodsgaard, n.d.). Following the success of these tests, the government decided to implement this system across the country. This brought about economic growth primarily in the industrial sector on the economy.
This also translated into population growth due to somewhat improved living conditions, although there were still significant food and resource shortages (Brodsgaard, n.d.). For this reason, a harsh program was created in order to limit population growth (1979). In 1980, this policy was implemented, which limited women to birthing only one child, accompanied by threats of fines, forced sterilization, or abortion for not adhering to the policy. This began as a somewhat relaxed rule in the 1980s and allowed some families to have two children if they lived in rural areas and could reasonably support two children (Vlassoff, 1990). This plan, while very harsh and overbearing, was actually successful in combination with economic reforms in order to transform Post-Mao China. The more market-based economy grew and could more successfully bear the burden of the decreased population. By the late 1980s, food production had increased significantly due to success in the agricultural sector (Brodsgaard, n.d.).
Jiang Zemin took over as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 1989 and served through 2003. His primary goals were to continue the previous decade's economic stability in China; and he did just that. During this 1990s, economic policies gradually became more and more focused on decentralization and market-based economics, and the one-child policy was more strictly upheld. This was a very steady decade for China in terms of political and economic policies and growth (BBC, 2012).
This also translated into population growth due to somewhat improved living conditions, although there were still significant food and resource shortages (Brodsgaard, n.d.). For this reason, a harsh program was created in order to limit population growth (1979). In 1980, this policy was implemented, which limited women to birthing only one child, accompanied by threats of fines, forced sterilization, or abortion for not adhering to the policy. This began as a somewhat relaxed rule in the 1980s and allowed some families to have two children if they lived in rural areas and could reasonably support two children (Vlassoff, 1990). This plan, while very harsh and overbearing, was actually successful in combination with economic reforms in order to transform Post-Mao China. The more market-based economy grew and could more successfully bear the burden of the decreased population. By the late 1980s, food production had increased significantly due to success in the agricultural sector (Brodsgaard, n.d.).
Jiang Zemin took over as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 1989 and served through 2003. His primary goals were to continue the previous decade's economic stability in China; and he did just that. During this 1990s, economic policies gradually became more and more focused on decentralization and market-based economics, and the one-child policy was more strictly upheld. This was a very steady decade for China in terms of political and economic policies and growth (BBC, 2012).
Information about Deng Xiaoping:
Demographic Changes
The most significant demographic changes during the '80s and '90s in China were chiefly brought about by the implementation of the one-child policy, as well as the success of the economic reforms. As shown in the graph below, the population initially increased in the early 1980s; but as the effects of the one-child policy became apparent, the population growth declined rapidly. The average number of children per woman in 1955 was six. By 1990, the average was 1.5. This is the quickest decline in fertility in recorded history (Senthilingham, 2016).
This policy not only affected the overall population growth but significantly altered the gender and age balance among the Chinese population. Since families were only permitted to have one child, many resorted to abortion or abandonment if they became pregnant with more than one child, or if they discovered that the child was a female, as Chinese culture favors males (Senthilingham, 2016). The graph below depicts the immense drop in the female population, beginning in the early to mid-1980s.
Since the more mature generations during this time period experienced massive population growth, and the newer generations were averaging only 1.5 children per family, the balance of ages within the population became extremely top-heavy. The percentage of children making up the entire population declined significantly during these decades (as shown below).
The economic reforms made during the Post-Mao Era made a significant impact in the type of work performed by the Chinese population. The graph below depicts the increase of urban workers and the fall of rural and agricultural workers (Hayutin, 2008). One can see that some of the largest increases in urban workers came during the 1990s when the percentage of rural workers begins to decline. This was the time in which the effects of the market-based economic policies of the mid-to-late 1980s became prominent. This is a large stride from the dominion of rural communes of the 1960s.
Header Photo: Deng Xiaoping, Visit of Chinese Vice Prepier Deng Xiaopint to Johnson Space Center is in the Public Domain