Brides and prejudice in China

As the nation sees a boom in bachelors, a shortage of Chinese females sparks fears for their future. He Na reports in Beijing.

China's widening gender gap threatens to cause "irreversible" damage to the traditional family unit and could lead to more women being abducted, trafficked or sold into marriage, experts have warned.

The disparity between the number of male and female babies born across the country has been steadily increasing since the 1980s. Studies by the National Population and Family Planning Commission this year showed the imbalance of men and women is 130 to 100 in provinces such as Anhui, Jiangxi and Shannxi, according to Yuan Xin, a professor at Nankai University's population and development research institute.

Analysis of the under-19 age group by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences also suggests that, by 2020, there will be 24 million more men of marriageable age (roughly 19 to 45) than women.

"The effect of the gender imbalance may not be obvious yet," said Yuan. "But if we don't take measures to narrow the gap now, the accumulated effects will lead to irreversible problems for society."

The country has already entered an era where men far outnumber women, he said, "so if in 10 years the media is reporting about tens of thousands of men who can't find wives, then it will be no joke".

A single man in his mid-20s is considered young in the city, yet in rural areas, where traditional ideas remain strong, it is thought to be dangerously old.


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