In China, bachelorhood might be dangerous

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:10:00 +0000

In the last few years, the phenomena of China's "leftover women" — that is, women over the age of 28 who are unmarried — has become a hot topic amongst China and China-watchers.

But the fact is these so-called leftover women are probably an overhyped concern, perhaps driven by government worries about a more likely problem — leftover men, aka "bare branches."

Yes, given a combination of China's one child policy and a traditional preference for sons, China may be looking at 12 to 15 percent of its male population being unable to find a wife. As Jessica Levine writes at Tea Leaf Nation, that's pretty much the population of Texas.

Salon.com > Adam Taylor

In China, bachelorhood might be dangerous