The one-child policy in China provided an opportunity to assess the effects of being an only child. In general, only children in China are as well-adjusted as children from larger families and tend to do better in school. However, the one-child policy has resulted in the birth and survival of far more male children than female children, apparently due to selective abortion or female infanticide in order to have the opportunity to have a son. During the period of 2000 to 2004, approximately 124 boys were born for every 100 girls. It is estimated that in 2005 there were 32 million more males than females in China younger than age 20.
ADRIAN BRADSHAW/EPA/NEWSCOM