Children, 20% of China's Poor Population

Dr. Sen Gong, of the Development Research Centre of the State Council, wrote a five-section report, "Inequality in China: A Case Study", with Associate Professor Bingqi Li, from Australian National University, and Save the Children UK, helping to address the root causes of inequality in opportunity and outcomes, as China seeks to pave the way for sustainable economic growth and social development.

Impacts of Inequalities on Children's Well-Being (Section 3)

Among the poor, boys less than 16 accounted for 13.2%, and girls less than 16 accounted for 12.2%. Thus, compared with the population as a whole, children are likely to be poorer or living in poorer households.

It is argued that education in China has changed from a meritocratic competition system to a largely private competition system in which students' level of achievement is determined by wealth, power and guanxi. So the means to give children quality education only reinforces existing social disparities.

In the household registration or hukou system, migrant families have to pay fees to give their children an education in urban areas and even then, their children cannot attend 'key schools'. As such, the share of college entrants or students from rural areas in the top 100 universities has declined.

Because educational resources are much more concentrated in urban schools, many migrant workers bring their children to cities. This means that rural schools attract even fewer students and thus less funding, hurting rural students. Moreover, the national university exam system requires students to take the exam in their place of origin, and the content of exams varies by province, so students who migrate out of their home province have to return to their hometown to prepare for the exam, causing serious financial and emotional stress for migrant families and their children.

Access to safe water and sanitation correlates with income levels and economic development. The proportion of children without safe water in poor households was 33.47%, while the proportion in non-poor households was 14.56%. In 2008, more than 16% of schools nationally were without a water supply system, 60% of schools lacked hand-washing facilities, and 75% of schools had no sanitation facilities.

The mortality rate for children under five has decreased substantially in China over the past decades, from 61.0% in 1991 to 15.6% in 2011. In urban areas, it has fallen from 20.9% in 1991 to 7.1% in 2011 and 71.1% to 19.1% in rural areas.

The prevalence of stunting (low height-for-age) also decreased significantly, from 33.1% in 1990 to 9.9% in 2010, down 11.4% to 3.4% in urban areas and from 40.3% to 12.1% in rural areas. Rural children are also more likely to be underweight and suffer from stunting and anemia. The national rate of underweight (low weight for age) children under five was 13.7% in 1990, down 5.3% in urban areas and 16.5% in rural areas.

In terms of healthcare providers in China, community-level clinics offer cheaper and lower-quality healthcare, but many people from the lowest quintile cannot afford to use even these health services. There are also clear gender dynamics at play, as girls from poor households are much less likely to be taken to see a doctor when they become ill.