Population of China and Gender Imbalance Essay Example for Free

Population of China and Gender Imbalance Essay Chinas one child policy was established by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1979 to limit Chinas population growth. It was designated as a temporary measure, to limit couples to just one child. Those who fail to follow the law are subjected to fines, pressures to do abortion, and forced sterilization. In 1979, the Chinese government embarked on an ambitious program of market reform following the stagnation of the economy after the Cultural Revolution. At the time, China was home to a quarter of the worlds people, who were occupying just 7 percent of worlds arable land. Two thirds of the population was under the age of 30 years, and the baby boomers of the 1950s and 1960s were entering their reproductive years. The government saw strict population containment as essential to economic reform and to an improvement in living standards. So the one-child family policy was introduced. The policy consists of a set of regulations governing the approved size of Chinese families. These regulations include restrictions on family size, late marriage and childbearing, and the spacing of children (in cases in which second children are permitted). The State Family Planning Bureau sets the overall targets and policy direction. Family-planning committees at provincial and county levels devise local strategies for implementation. Despite its name, the one-child rule applies to a minority of the population; for urban residents and government employees, the policy is strictly enforced, with few exceptions. The exceptions include families in which the first child has a disability or both parents work in high-risk occupations (such as mining) or are themselves from one-child families (in some areas). The policy has been estimated to have reduced population growth in the country of 1. 3 billion by as much as 300 million people over its first twenty years of existence. However, this rule has caused a bias against female infants; abortion, neglect, abandonment, and even infanticide have been known to occur to female infants. The use of IUDs, sterilization, and abortion are Chinas most popular forms of birth control. However, over the past few years, China has provided more education and support for alternative birth control methods. This shift in focus on implementing this family planning policy was partly in reaction to what happened in 2007 when there were reports that in the southwestern Guangxi Autonomous Region of China, officials were forcing pregnant women without permission to give birth to have abortions and levying steep fines on families violating the law. As a result, riots broke out and some population control officials may have been killed. The result of such family planning policy has resulted in the disparate ratio of 114 males for every 100 females among babies from birth through children four years of age. Normally, 105 males are naturally born for every 100 females. When the Chinese government introduced the policy in 1979 to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems in China, authorities claim that the policy has prevented 250 million births from its implementation to 2000. However, the policy is controversial both within and outside China because of the manner in which the policy has been implemented, and because of concerns about negative economic and social consequences. The policy has been implicated in an increase in of forced abortions and female infanticide, and has been suggested as a possible cause behind Chinas significant gender imbalance. Despite these negative reports, favorable feedback from this policy is heard from the families themselves. Since the introduction of the one-child policy, the total fertility rate in China has fallen from over two births per woman to approximately 1. 7 births today. In total, China estimates that it has three to four hundred million fewer people today, with the one-child policy, than it would have had otherwise. The reduction in the fertility rate and thus population growth has reduced the severity of problems that come with overpopulation, like epidemics, slums, overwhelmed social services (such as health, education, law enforcement), and strain on the ecosystem from abuse of fertile land and production of high volumes of waste. Another favorable feedback as a result of this policy is that it is reported that the focus of China on population control helps provide a better health service for women and a reduction in the risks of death and injury associated with pregnancy. Increased involvement of women in the labor force is also another positive feedback. Women have traditionally been the primary caregivers for children; however, with fewer children, they have more time to invest in their careers, increasing both their personal earnings and the national GDP. Another feedback that appeals to environmentalists is that, with the policy, there is decreased environmental impact. Chinas one child policy has the indirect consequence of reducing Chinas total ecological footprint and thus reducing strain on ecological resources. Despite these successes, however, the one-child only policy draws criticisms from many quarters. First, the one-child policy has been criticized by human rights advocacy groups and Western religious groups, including some evangelical Christians, as well as by pro-life advocates. Within China, criticism tends to be focused on potential social problems caused by the policy. A second type of criticism has come from those who acknowledge the challenges stemming from Chinas high population growth but believe that less intrusive options could have achieved the same results over an extended period of time. One very important concern was the human rights factor. The one-child policy is challenged in principle and in practice over violating basic human rights. Reported abuses in its enforcement include bribery, coercion, forced sterilization, forced abortion, and possibly infanticide. Even though in 2002, China outlawed the use of physical force to make a woman submit to an abortion or sterilization, it is not entirely enforced. In the execution of the policy many local governments still demand abortions if the pregnancy violates local regulations. Some critics also point to the possible economic and emotional costs the policy may bring to the people. As the one-child policy begins to near its next generation, one adult child is left with having to provide support for his or her two parents and four grandparents. This leaves the older generation with more of a dependency on retirement funds or charity, rather than their children in order to have support. If a child cannot care for their parents and grandparents, or if that child cannot survive, the oldest generation could find itself destitute. Another social problem seen is when some parents may over-indulge their only-child. The media referred to the indulged children in one-child families as little emperors. Since the 1990s, some people worry this will result in a higher tendency toward poor social communication and cooperation skills among the new generation, as they have no siblings at home. One important focus among sociologists is the issue of gender imbalance. China, like many other Asian countries, has a long tradition of son preference. Many argue that the one-child policy induces many families to use selective abortion, abandon female infants, and even kill female infants under the influence of the son preference. Some families even kill or starve the female infant and then try again for a male child. The commonly accepted explanation for son preference is that sons in rural families may be thought to be more helpful in farm work. Sons are preferred as they provide the primary financial support for the parents in their retirement, and a sons parents typically are better cared for than his wifes. In addition, Chinese traditionally view that daughters, on their marriage, become primarily part of the grooms family. Becaue of this gender bias the sex ratio at birth (between male and female births) in mainland China reached 117:100 in the year 2000, substantially higher than the natural baseline, which ranges between 103:100 and 107:100. It had risen from 108:100 in 1981 at the boundary of the natural baseline to 111:100 in 1990. According to a report by the State Population and Family Planning Commission, there will be 30 million more men than women in 2020, potentially leading to social instability. The correlation between the increase of sex ratio disparity on birth and the deployment of one child policy would appear to have been caused by the one-child policy.

British Airways Financial Analysis :: Case Study Analysis, solution

British Airways Financial Analysis The following pages comprise of a financial analysis of British Airways for the financial year ending March 31, 1999. British Airways is a well-established company and has enjoyed high profits for the majority of its existence. However, the most recent accounts that have been published tell a different story of how the year has been. British Airways produced a pre-tax profit of  £225 million. This is  £355 million less than in 1998 which illustrates the decline in demand for British Airways services. Although this decline in profits of 61% seems unacceptable it was caused by a variety of abnormal expenses. For example the company spent  £35 million on computer systems to ensure that they are â€Å"year 2000 compliant†. British Airways also entered the low cost air travel market during the year with the launch of â€Å"Go†, which is running at a loss as it tries to establish itself in a highly competitive business environment. Lower fuel prices and the strength of the Pound benefited British Airways, and as a result the company stocked up on 45% of its fuel requirement for the next financial year. This also contributed to the fall in profits for the year. Operating Profit Fell from  £504 million in 1998 to  £442 million in 1999. The return on capital employed or primary ratio was just 17.06%. This is a great deal smaller than the 1998 figure of 61.2%. These figures both show that the business is achieving a return higher than that which could be achieved in a non-risk investment such as a high interest no access bank account which would only give a return of 7 to 9%. British Airways has a working capital of 5.1, which shows that it has high solvency. Overall, although the firm has incurred a loss of  £355 million in the financial year it is still a healthy business that shows promise of high profits in future years.

The Little Prince Essay

Lee Hyeon Ju Ms. Sarah Jane ELSEO November 23, 2012 The little prince The little prince has symbolism, it reminds people about meaning of life. Anthoine de Saint Exupery uses symbolism to teach the reader. Firstly, the king symbolizes how power is useless. The fox symbolizes love and the desert flower is meaning of religion. Antoine de saint Exupery uses symbolism to teach the reader meaning of life. He uses the king to represent about power is useless, the fox to teach love and the lower to symbolize religion. The king symblizes how power is useless.The first reason why power is useless for the king is because he lives alone on a planet. Even when the king tires to control the sunset the little prince realizes he can not control it. In order for someone to have power they must have subjects who listen to them. therefore power is useless because no one is under his control unless they decide to be. The fox symbolizes love. The first reason why the fox symbolizes love is because he le t little prince knows how to tame each other. The little prince knows how interaction is important in a elationship. The fox taught him to know invisible things more important than visible in our eyes. â€Å"What is essential is invisible to the eye. † Because the fox and, little prince could remember when they see same colour of them they can reminds each other. The desert flower symbolizes religion. The first reason why the desert flower symbolizes love is because the flower roots meaning of belief . Belief is makes people strong their mind it is not invisible to outside, but it effected so much just like plant’s roots.Also, the desert meaning of the hard life. †but never knows where to find them. The wind blows them away. † The flower had once seen a caravan passing ,the seven men blowed away because they did not have roots like a flower. In conclusion, the little prince make people know about meaning of life. First, the king teach people about useless o f power and the fox teach love, and desert flower is symbolizes of religion. Many people would know how meaningful to read this book because they find important lesson from it.

Using the Spanish Preposition Sobre

Like many Spanish prepositions, sobre can be used in a variety of ways that dont seem to have any logical connection. One of the more common Spanish prepositions, sobre can be the equivalent of the English prepositions on, about, or over, among others. In some cases, it can help to know that sobre comes from the Latin super-, which, among other things, functioned as a preposition meaning above or beyond. But while a few of the uses of sobre have clearly related meanings, not all do. Be aware that sobre also can function as a masculine noun meaning envelope, packet, or, in informal usage, bed.) Most Common Ways in Which Sobre Is Used Nearly all the time, sobre is used in one of the following ways: Sobre as a Preposition of Location Sobre is often used to indicate that something is on top or or above something. In some such situations, sobre can be used more or less interchangeably with the preposition en. There usually isnt much significant difference, for example, between sobre la mesa and en la mesa, which both can be translated as on the table. Other times, over is a more suitable translation, such as when sobre means above. Coloca una pierna ​sobre el piso. (Place your knee on the floor.)La distribucià ³n correcta de la presià ³n del cuerpo sobre la silla es esencial para el confort. (The correct distribution of the bodys weight over the chair is essential for comfort.)Una lluvia de astillas volà ³ sobre el coche. (A shower of splinters flew onto the car.)Si pudieras volar sobre el ojo del huracà ¡n, al mirar hacia abajo verà ­as claramente la superficie del mar o la tierra. (If you could fly over the eye of the hurricane, upon looking down you would clearly see the surface of the sea or Earth.) Sobre Meaning ‘About,’ ‘Concerning,’ or ‘On the Subject Of’ When sobre is used to describe that something concerns or is about a subject, it functions in the same way that de can. In these situations, sobre is usually more formal than de. About is nearly always a good translation, although others such as of are possible. Ésta es la primera edicià ³n sobre un libro sobre nuestra mà ºsica popular. (This is the first edition of a book about our popular music.)Pelà © presenta documental sobre su vida en Nueva York. (Pelà © is presenting a documentary about his life in New York.) ¿Quà © piensas sobre el uso de los antibià ³ticos? (What do you think about using the antibiotics?) Using Sobre To Indicate Superiority or Influence Sobre often can translate over when it is used to indicate superiority in matters of influence or control. El uso del bus triunfa sobre el coche entre los universitarios. (Among university students, the use of buses triumphs over the use of cars.)La industria de salud posee una enorme influencia sobre las polà ­ticas de salud. (The health industry has a great influence over the politics of health.)Me es repugnante la dominacià ³n de un sexo sobre el otro. (The domination of one sex over the other is repugnant to me.) Sobre in Time Approximations Sobre is frequently used in time expressions to indicate that the time given is approximate. The English translations about or around are often used. Sobre is less commonly used in other types of approximations, such as for physical measurements. Sobre las seis de la tarde volvimos al hotel. (We are arriving at the hotel at about 6 in the evening.)Sobre 1940 el mercado de la ciencia ficcià ³n comenzà ³ a subir de nuevo. (Around 1940 the market for science fiction began to grow again.)La tormenta pasarà ¡ sobre el mediodà ­a de este sà ¡bado. (The storm will pass through around noon on this Saturday.)Esperamos olas de sobre cuatro metros de altura. (We are hoping for waves about four meters high.) Sobre for Motion Around Sobre can be used to indicate rotation around an axis. About and around are the most common translations. El planeta gira sobre su eje una vez cada 58,7 dà ­as. (The planet rotates around its axis once each 58.7 days.)La Tierra rota sobre un eje imaginario que pasa a travà ©s de sus polos. (The Earth rotates about an imaginary axis which passes between its two poles.) Key Takeaways The Spanish preposition sobre is common, but it cant be translated by any single English preposition.One common meaning of sobre is to indicate that something is on top or above something else.Another common use of sobre is to indicate the subject that something else, such as a book, is about.