A Minority Group and China's One-Child Policy: The Case of the Koreans

Abstract

This report describes the participation in the one-child certificate program by Koreans living in China, using data from a household survey conducted in 1986 in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. Although the Koreans and all other minorities are exempt from China's strict one-child family policy, by pledging not to have more than one child they receive the one-child incentives. The total minority population in China is nearly 70 million and their combined population growth rate is much higher than that of the Han majority. The Korean minority, however, has had a growth rate lower than that of the Han. Nevertheless, the level of acceptance of the one-child certificate among Korean couples is only about 10 percent of those who currently have one child--one-fourth of the 1982 national figure. Life-table analysis indicates that fewer than 9 percent of Korean women would accept the certificate within a six-year period after their first birth. In the meantime, a second child would be born to 60 percent of the women. Among eight factors considered, three--place of residence, occupation of husband, and sex of the living child--significantly affected the rate of acceptance of the certificate, according to the hazards model.