Problems Facing China And India In Modernization

Cleavages and problems facing India & China in modernization and society

There are various intricate cleavages faced by India and China, the two countries are similar but different at the same time. Both countries will have to overcome these cleavages if they are to become rising superpowers and integral actors on the international stage. This paper will examine problems facing both India and China. India is facing cleavages such as the caste system, infanticide, gender issues and growing globalization. China on the other hand has to deal with their one child policy, population gap and human rights abuses along with the rule of law and constitutionalism

Despite the economic and political advancement India has achieved in the modern era, there are cleavages and problems that are glaring insights into the lack of societal progression in the country. India is a unique and diverse country with a rich culture; however, the caste system seems to be a strange and distinctive phenomenon to outside observers. The caste system is unique from a societal standpoint because an individuals entire future rests on pure chance, if they are born into the upper echelons of the caste system then their life will be decidedly more comfortable, if not then it is just bad luck. The caste system has visible downfalls; the caste system promotes racial discrimination and separation based on class.

Class domination based on caste is also a factor, the higher caste individuals almost always have a higher chance of owning land and being successful in their lives, whereas the lower caste individuals are stuck to fend for themselves in a vicious circle revolving around hate and mistreatment. The caste system has been a major problem in India for years prior but has not been given the significance or attention it deserves when discussing the cleavages facing India. Growing modernization is also becoming a cleavage that is dividing the country, the turning away from traditional methods of economic techniques and the mechanization of agriculture has led to a disparity in the market and has dealt a blow to farmers because it has taken jobs away from individuals who thrive on labor based work. The mechanization of agriculture is in response to the calls for a universal market economized world; the globalization in rising economic hubs is attached to the increasing demands for free market access to emerging superpowers such as India. The free market access results in unequal profits between the individuals who produce goods and the individuals or companies who are fortunate enough to distribute goods. This problem is apparent in the agriculture sector with the farmers getting the short end of the stick. The control of distribution of production is essential in free market economies and that is an enormous drawback for India and will continue to be a thorn in the side of any government that comes into power. Laissez-faire capitalist economic styles will cause a further imbalance between rich and poor and that is the last thing that India needs at the present time. Globalization will also present a open door for multinational companies to take advantage of the cheap labor market in India, the exploitation of lower classes then will lead to possible human rights abuses and extremely low pay for tedious hours under inhumane work conditions. Another cleavage that faces independent India is the disparity and controversy surrounding gender issues.

With all the attention paid to economic growth and political advancement, the place of women in a new society seems to be an issue that is overlooked. "In contrast to most dowry‐oriented societies in which payments have declined with modernization, those in India have undergone significant inflation over the last five decades". (Anderson, 2003) Women in India are at a severe disadvantage in a patriarchal society that dictates how a woman should act and present herself. Gender equality is one of the most apparent and controversial cleavages facing modern India, the majority of the population seems stuck in a backward trance as they refuse to change old traditions and recognize that gender equality is the best option for the country in order to allow India grow economically, politically and most importantly socially. The place of women in India according to tradition is to take care of the children and the household, however with India’s emerging economy and new generation it is inevitable that women will want an equal place, both in the workplace and other social aspects of life as men. The emergence of a new generation of women has empowered some women to rise up against the shackles of oppression, however, the literacy rate of the majority of women in India is at an abysmal rate with men being far more literate and also in turn tending to have the successful jobs. The struggle of women in modern India underlines an even bigger picture with relation to gender; the subject of infanticide is a very serious issue and enormous cleavage facing India society. Due to traditional values upheld in Indian society, the male is always the preferred child because it is believed that the male is more capable of doing work whether it be labor based or otherwise, and the male is also the only one capable of carrying on the family name. This preference has had deadly consequences that will reverberate throughout generations; it has led to a shortage of females to male’s ratio.

The secularization of India has also been a major cleavage and point of contention, the separation of church and state has been a controversial one because religion seems entrenched in the society of India. In addition, the separation between church and education is a cleavage that separates the majority population and the minority population. The people who support secularization and separation make the point that education should be objective and not contain religious references that might dilute the minds of impressionable children. The secularization of church and state has led to the emergence of issue based politics as opposed to politics based on identity. "The idea of a secular India, tolerant of different religions (and of people who believe in none), has been severely damaged by Hindu political groups". (Sen, 1993)

China being a communist state is in a unique position and has many deeper cleavages than its counterpart India. China’s one child policy is an extreme measure in response to the enormous population growth China has seen over the past few years. The one child policy has led to human rights abuses in reference to government officials forcing women to have late or forced abortions in order to fulfill their quota of one child per family. "Although rapid socioeconomic change and government policies in many areas have made important contributions to the current low fertility, this outcome is largely attributable to the later-longer-fewer and one child birth limitation campaigns initiated by the Chinese government". (Bongaarts & Greenhalgh, 1985) Forcing the citizens of the state to have one child is a human rights abuse and takes away freedom from law abiding citizens. It also impacts the society by encouraging infanticide. China and India are similar as in males are outnumbering and hold more value because they are going to be taking on the family name in society. This is deeply enrooted in cultural traditions in both countries where the male takes over the household and name of the family and females are frowned upon and not welcomed but killed in some instances in households. Forcing the one child policy can create unwanted circumstances as well in the sense that if infanticide and gender selection is going to continue then there will be eventually be such a large disparity between females and males that it will become a national problem.

Another cleavage that arises when discussing the problems in China is the age disparity between generations, as the age gap widens and the older generation becomes senior citizens, there seems to be a lack of age appropriate individuals in each family to take care of the aging populace. Aside from China’s innovative pursuit to curtail population growth, one of the most apparent cleavages that exists in modern China is the fact that it has struggled with the contentious issue of authoritarianism versus democracy. Politicians in modern China have chosen authoritarianism as its primary ideology which can create disastrous results in terms of human rights abuses. The Chinese establishment wishes to grasp onto power for as long as they can, so this means controlling every aspect of society and politics. It is inevitable that freedom and state control are bound to clash in a head-on collision; an example would be Tiananmen Square. Despite the positive aspects of the Chinese economy, "the Government's human rights record remained poor, and the Government continued to commit numerous and serious abuses". (United States Department of State, 2004) China’s human rights record has not only made it a cleavage that divides the country itself but it has divided and alienated the international community as well, as can be viewed by some of China’s trading partners being tentative in international agreements.

In an attempt to maintain an iron grip on the country, the Communist Party of China has been ruthless in crushing any dissention and separatist movements that may occur as a result of the oppressive regime. Tibet has been a hot button topic in regards to human rights because of the use of armed force in the region. Tibet wishes to be independent and a separate entity from mainland China, however, China views Tibet as a part of the communist state and will not allow any separation. In regards to Tibet’s sovereignty "if the matter of Tibet's sovereignty is murky, the question about the PRC's treatment of Tibetans is all too clear. After invading Tibet in 1950, the Chinese communists killed over one million Tibetans, destroyed over 6,000 monasteries, and turned Tibet's northeastern province, Amdo, into a gulag housing, by one estimate, up to ten million people. A quarter of a million Chinese troops remain stationed in Tibet. In addition, some 7.5 million Chinese have responded to Beijing's incentives to relocate to Tibet; they now outnumber the 6 million Tibetans. Through what has been termed Chinese apartheid, ethnic Tibetans now have a lower life expectancy, literacy rate, and per capita income than Chinese inhabitants of Tibet". (Lasater & Conboy, 1987) By using the oppressive tactics it has against Tibet, China has promulgated a bad image both internationally and at home, as many Chinese citizens do not agree with the way the government has treated Tibetans. Like its counterpart India, China has a visible cleavage with modern industrialization and technological revolution. Despite the fact that China is supposedly a Communist state in nature, it has reverted its economy to suit a more capitalist nature; this has created a disparity in wealth distribution and has contributed to the gap both socially and economically between urban centers and rural areas. Similar to India, the free market economy that China has adopted has hurt its citizens, it may look like a good idea on the surface with China being viewed as a rising economic superpower, but the gap between privileged and non privileged widens like a black hole, sucking everything in sight into its abyss The rule of law and getting the state of China to abide by the constitution is another problem that China has had to face in the past, and will have to address in the future if it wishes to remain a stable country. There is a definite divergence between how the rich in the country are treated and how the poor are treated when the rule of law of fairness applies. Nevertheless, due to the pitfalls of the Communist system that has been implemented in China, these cleavages have either been ignored or have not been properly addressed, which will turn out to be a devastating tragedy for China’s future.

Therefore in conclusion, after viewing the problems that both China and India face both in their society and in modernization, it is clear that the two countries share some similarities but are different in applying other aspects in regards to politics and social reforms. If India and China continue to ignore the cleavages and problems they are facing in the modern world, then we can expect to see a fall from grace for these two rising superpowers. India has not addressed its problem of gender disparity and equality, secularization of society, and most of all the caste system is still in place. China has been unsuccessful in overcoming its problems of its poor human rights record and respect for cultural diversity, population gap, gender issues and alternatives to the one child policy. Modernization attempts by both countries have contributed to infanticide and gender selection which could be the downfall for both countries if it not corrected in a timely fashion. Religion in both countries is also a major dividing factor and cleavage because of the minority religions being oppressed economically and socially by the majority or ruling religions that have political power. Time will only tell if India and China are able to overcome these cleavages that they face in the modern world, overcoming these difficulties could mean the success or failure for both countries.

References

Anderson, S. (2003). Why Dowry Payments Declined with Modernization in Europe but are Rising in India. Journal of Political Economy, 111, 2.

Bongaarts, J.& Greenhalgh, S. (1985). An Alternative to the One-Child Policy in China. Population and Development Review, 11, 585-617.

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (2005). Country Reports on Human Practices – 2004.

Lasater, M. & Conboy, K. (1987). Why the World is Watching Beijing’s Treatment of Tibet, The Heritage Foundation, 177.

Sen, A. (1993). The Threats to Secular India. Social Scientist, 21, 5-23.