Final answer:
Chinese citizens who breached the single-child policy faced penalties, primarily in the form of fines. The policy was implemented to control population growth and included various enforcement measures and exceptions. In 2016, the one-child policy was lifted, allowing families to have two children.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chinese citizens who violate the single-child policy were typically subject to a. pay a fine. This was among the multiple measures enforced to ensure compliance with the one-child-only policy set by the government in an attempt to manage the country's population growth.
In 1978, China implemented the one-child-only policy as a population control measure. The government used various disincentives to enforce this policy, which included fines, loss of employment, and often harsher measures like forced abortions and sterilization.
These policies were administered locally, and while the Chinese government denied that forced abortions and sterilizations were part of the official strategy, numerous reports suggested otherwise. Incentives for complying with the policy included government benefits and social programs, which could be forfeited if a couple had more than one child. However, there were exceptions in place, and the net effect allowed for about half of Chinese parents to legally have a second child. Economic and social pressures played a significant role in the enforcement of the policy, which remained highly controversial both domestically and internationally. It is important to note that in 2016, the policy was officially phased out, allowing families to have two children.