Quote
“China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.” Charles de Gaulle.
News
The Chinese Academy of Sciences published a report this week estimating that there will be 24 million “bare branches” – men in China unable to find a wife – by 2020. This has its roots in the one child policy introduced 30 years ago, to curb soaring birth rates resulting from Mao’s population policy. However, in the 1980s ultrasound technology permitted gender-specific abortion, leading to the current imbalance (120 boys were born for every 100 girls in 2006 – despite gender screening now being illegal, except for medical reasons).
In the rural areas, only men can inherit land, and they are also responsible to care for their elderly parents; daughters become part of their husband’s family. So customs regarding welfare and inheritance greatly favour the birth of boys. The distortions this has caused are multiple: a couple’s only child is pampered and spoiled; one child may have to care for two parents and four grandparents; girls are frequently abducted and trafficked to areas with large gender imbalances; prostitution is soaring, to say nothing of the injustice of millions of unborn children being killed purely because of their gender. Much of this stems from a policy decision that was made solely on economic grounds (to stem population growth), but failed to consider the relational implications of the policy.
Read on...
A set of five media releases by the Relationships Foundation for National Family Week last year give a good overview of key issues surrounding extended family relationships and their implications on family welfare. Click on this link to read them:
Walk the talk
Gender based injustice is a global tragedy, manifesting itself in numerous ways. Take some time to learn more about the specific issues, often hidden, and reflect on ways to respond – we highly recommend a balanced and moving booklet, “30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless: addressing issues of gender-based injustice,” available online at http://raisetheirvoice.wordpress.com/30-days-of-prayer-for-the-voiceless/ Reading it will undoubtedly open your eyes and raise your awareness.
The last word
From the Bible, Genesis 1:27 “So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.”
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