"Child-rearing in China" - Marie Richards

Most people in China do not use diapers. Children have a slit in their pants to allow them to poop when the need arises. Kate said that in some areas the mother whistles in a special way to signal to the child to defecate. And my child won't even use the potty....

The people we encountered on our trip put a personal face on China's one child policy. Our host family described to us how they desperately wanted a second child. Some families are able to have a second child and pay a fine. This was not a possibility for our hosts because they worked for the university and a government agency, and would lose their jobs if they had another child. They expressed hope that the regulations may be loosened in the future.

The policy seems to have great variability. At one time minorities were allowed to have more than one child, but this is no longer the case. Yet our tour guide in Tibet has two kids. Another person informed us that since she and her fiance were both only children, they would be allowed to have two kids. In some rural areas, it is acceptable to have more than 1 child if the first one is female.

There are concerns that China is cultivating a society of overindulged "little emperors" with their one child policy. After meeting our host families, some group members described spoiled kids and rooms overflowing with toys. But as the parent of a young child, I am often ashamed of the excess toy supply at my own home. However, the social consequences of this government policy are likely to be long-reaching. What type of effects result from a society of predominantly male only children remain to be seen.