As an element of economic and human
development, a state's ability to control the fertility of its
population has been linked to a multitude of issues such as economic
stability, nutrition, health, environmental sustainability etc.
Attitudes regarding the cause and effect relationship between
'over-population' and the global economy and quality of life have
produced divided and fluctuating opinion.
China has tackled population control in
its characteristically pragmatic fashion and has been criticized for
its actions and praised for its results. The methods the Chinese
Communist Party has implemented to control population growth, since
1949, have fluctuated in policy and purpose along with leadership
changes. Chinese Family Planning Policies have at times been
detrimental to economic development and harmful to the population.
The actions and criticism of women's
group, both inside the PRC and internationally, have had a significant
impact on fertility as a 'women's issue'. This broadening of
perspective reflects the trends in development scholarship toward
population control as an interconnected issue relating to such topics
as women's rights and environmental sustainability.