population control

Measures taken by some governments to limit the growth of their countries' populations by trying to reduce birth rates. Propaganda, freely available contraception, and tax disincentives for large families are some of the measures that have been tried.

The population-control policies introduced by the Chinese government are the best known. In 1979 the government introduced a ‘one-child policy’ that encouraged family planning and penalized couples who have more than one child. It has been only partially successful since it has been difficult to administer, especially in rural areas, and has in some cases led to the killing of girls in favour of sons as heirs.