The one child policy was introduced in China in 1979 to control the country's large population growth. It restricted urban families to only one child and rural families to two if the first was a girl. This led to forced abortions and sterilizations to meet quotas. It also caused societal issues like a gender imbalance. While it achieved population control, it was also criticized for infringing on personal freedoms. Recent changes allow two children per family and ban forced birth control measures.