环球英语 — 110： Boys and Girls
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Tony Ford.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In the Chinese city of Huizhou, a class is in progress. The children are four and five years old. They are excited to be in school. They look at the teacher. They sit in front of small tables. And they listen quietly to what the teacher says. This is a chance for them to learn and to have fun. But there is something different about this class. Most of the students are boys - thirty-nine [39] of them. There are only eight [8] girls.
Voice 2
This situation is becoming common in parts of China. In today’s Spotlight we tell of family planning policies in China. We examine the problem of too few women. And we tell of China’s hopes to change the situation. But first we return to the class in Huizhou.
Voice 1
Ms. Zeng is the school’s head teacher. She said having more boys around than girls is affecting the children’s behaviour.
Voice 3
“It is a serous problem. When there are more boys than girls, the girls copy the boys. And they become overly forceful.”
Voice 1
In the late 1970’s, China was worried about its population growing too large. When a population grows too quickly, there are not enough jobs or resources for everyone. So the government made a law to try and control the situation. The law stated that families should only have one child, especially in cities. Later, the law permitted families in the countryside to have two children, if the first child was a girl. Parents that disobeyed the law could receive severe punishments.
Voice 2
Even with this policy, China has more people than any other country in the world. By 2006, China’s population was one point three thousand million [1,300,000,000]. So, the Chinese government believes it is best to continue with the one-child policy.
Voice 1
Many families want more children, especially in the country areas. Parents depend on their children to support them in their old age. In traditional Chinese culture, after marriage a woman lives with her husband’s family. And she takes care of his family. This means her own parents could be left alone. This is one reason that parents like to have a boy. They believe that boys can take care of them better. Also, boys continue the family name.
Voice 2
So when a women gets pregnant in China, she and her husband want to know the sex of their child. Doctors are able to tell them this information with ultrasound tests. If the child is a girl, the parents may choose to end the pregnancy - to have an abortion. But the government is very worried about this situation. So it made it illegal for doctors to tell parents the sex of their child. However, many people pay doctors to tell them. Other doctors do not say any words. But they tell the family through signs. When the child is a boy, they give a thumb’s up sign. When it is a girl, they give a thumb’s down sign.
Voice 1
Some people say that the government needs to severely punish doctors who break the law. They say that the current law does not tell what the punishment should be for doctors who break it. They want prison sentences for these doctors.
Voice 2
However, there are people who cannot find out the sex of their child from a doctor. So they wait until after the birth. And some of them make an extreme decision. They decide to get rid of their baby girl. Often they leave the girl on the street. They write down her name and birth date. They hope that someone will find her.
Voice 1
The problem of fewer girls is particularly bad in country areas. The government found that there are ninety-nine [99] cities of concern. In these cities the number of boys is far greater than the number of girls - more than one-hundred and twenty-five boys [125] are born for every one hundred [100] girls. The United Nations suggests that the balance should not be more than one hundred and seven [107] to one hundred [100]. The current numbers are a bad sign for the future.
Voice 2
Experts estimate that by the year 2020, the problem will be severe. There could be over thirty million [30,000,000] men unable to find a woman to marry.
Voice 1
The problem has already started. In some parts of China, men are having a difficult time finding a wife. On the island of Hainan many men are unmarried. Liu Yanding is one such man. He tells of his situation:
Voice 3
“How can we get married? I do not know what to do or where to start finding a wife.”
Voice 1
Experts are worried that this will lead to increased levels of crime in men. The men have no wives and children to go home to. And the experts believe that when too many young men group together, they can get into crime. Having a family is very important in the Chinese social structure. Other experts are worried about violence towards women. They fear that there will be more sex crime, and even forced marriages.
Voice 2
One solution is for parents to understand the value of having a daughter. As many people around China are moving for better jobs, many young women are moving too. And they are able to send money home to their parents. These parents are starting to see that daughters can provide for them. It is not only sons that can do this.
Voice 1
In 2003, the government began a policy called ‘Care for Girls’. This policy gives financial help to parents who have female children. They do not have to pay taxes on their wages. They get better housing and employment. And, they do not have to pay for their daughters’ education or medical care. But evidence suggests that most parents still want boys.
Voice 2
The government hopes to try to change people’s opinions. One method they use is words painted on walls in public places. The words encourage people to value girls. They say, for example, ‘Girls are as important as boys’ and ‘Both boys and girls are the hearts of their parents’. The government also says it will punish doctors who break the law. It will continue to watch the situation.
Voice 1
Sadly there are no easy answers, especially for men such as Liu Yanding. He is left waiting. All he can do is hope and pray to find a future wife. All he has is his dream of a family, a family to come home to.
