Which of the following best explains how the one-child policy in China led to large numbers of undocumented children?

• A. Undocumented children resulted primarily from international migration rather than the one-child policy.
• B. The government provided incentives for families to report all children, but many chose not to participate.
• C. The policy required all children to be registered at birth, eliminating the possibility of undocumented individuals.
• D. Families who exceeded the one-child limit often did not register additional children to avoid penalties, resulting in many undocumented individuals.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the context of the one-child policy in China, which limited families to having only one child to control population growth.
2. Recognize that the policy imposed penalties or fines on families that had more than one child, creating a strong incentive to avoid official registration of additional children.
3. Analyze how the registration system works: children must be registered at birth to be officially recognized and to access public services.
4. Identify that families exceeding the limit might choose not to register their additional children to avoid penalties, leading to a population of undocumented children.
5. Conclude that the presence of undocumented children is primarily due to families' strategic decisions to avoid penalties under the one-child policy, rather than international migration or government incentives to report all children.