The deadly crisis of SINGLE WOMEN in CHINA

a new book says that successful and single Chinese women are now facing serious setbacks to their property rights in a moment I'll be speaking to the author of that book about the stigma of being classed as a leftover woman do you know why the number of desperate single women is increasing in China the growing number of Chinese women who choose to defy the ingrained cultural preference for motherhood and marriage has dramatically affected China's future trajectory every woman in China who's over the age of 27 years is labeled as a leftover woman and this derogatory term was ironically coined by the all China women's Federation this is primarily fueled by shifting economic realities in China marriage and family have long been cherished as they represent social stability however women are opting out of this traditional path join us as we discover why so many Chinese women don't want to get married Chinese marriage markets this problem has become so widespread in China that many parents are forced to display their children for marriage in the marketplace an example of this can be seen in central Beijing where parents constantly visit Jong Shan Park on a mission to find the perfect partner for their children they work hard to find the ideal spouse for their unmarried adult child these are designated Corners present in most Parks throughout China called match making Corners parents continuously visit these Corners to advertise their children's good traits just like in the flea market this is done to attract prospective takers for their children the majority of these advertisements are women wanting to be married these Corners are present in many parks throughout major cities in China such as Shanghai Chinese parents complain that their children are very picky about who they choose and have set unrealistic standards for their spouses which is why they have to step in marriage rates in China have plummeted and the number of single women in China is increasing according to recent statistics 6.8 million couples tied the knot last year the lowest since dating records began in 1986 according to China's Ministry of civil Affairs the number of marriages was haved in the previous decade even though the reasons for these problems are complicated they can be traced to demographic changes professor Jean Yung of the National University of Singapore says youngsters aren't looking for companionship where males and females assume their traditional roles she claims that young people seek love and personal satisfaction today a concept that is hard to grasp at such a young age it all began when in 1949 China changed its Constitution to include women there wasn't enough Workforce to build the new China that Mao had envisioned so women were called to become a part of the workforce they were labeled as the iron ladies nowadays things are different and the notion of iron lady has been forcibly transitioned to leftover women as an insult to coers women into having a family elderly parents who are very worried about their daughters becoming leftover women have decided to take matters into their own hands this is why many marriage markets are set up in Parks across Beijing matchmakers are present in these marketplaces helping the public find the right match for their boys and girls girls even though there are many women available for marriage people don't marry them matchmakers assisting the public in finding the right match for their sons claim that parents and Sons alike ask that the woman be young never married before and incredibly gorgeous these are prime factors upon which no parents are ready to compromise the one child policy China's population decline as a result of strange policies in the late 1970s China in produced the one child policy meaning that parents couldn't produce more than one child as a result this one child policy became responsible for the marriage decline which eventually meant a population decline Dan Wang a chief Economist in China claims that the one child policy was a wrong decision for China this child policy led to an entire generation being the only child in China therefore they grow up independently since they are the only children in their house as a result they are more individualistic than their previous generations Professor ju Hong claims this has become a big issue for such children because they must give up some of their individualistic personalities which means losing their freedom she argues that in any marriage Mutual understanding compromise and the ability to identify each other's needs are essential these social skills are difficult to learn for people who grew up as the only child in their family she claims that social skills such as selflessness and compromise are usually not seen in the current generation which resulted from the one child policy gender imbalance another reason why the number of women in China has increased to such a significant amount is because of a gender imbalance back when China implemented its one child policy in the 1970s there were a substantial number of abortions this is because most parents desired their one child to be a male rather than a female and therefore any wouldbe daughters were aborted as a result of such actions there are 30 million more men than women in China according to another statistic there are almost 475 unmarried men for every 100 unmarried women in China this is also because of China's one child policy in the late 1970s it led to gender selective abortions and as a result China's birth rate declined incredibly L however the question is if there are that many more men women have many options so why are women choosing to stay single according to Reuters the number of educated women is increasing and at the same time they are facing unprecedented insecurity along with unemployment and economic downturn this has led to women remaining single by their own choice this is evident from the fact that in 2021 China's single population over the age of 15 years was incredibly high at 239 million single people even marriage registrations hit a historic low in 2022 a survey was done by the communist youth league in 2021 which found that 44% of the women didn't have any intentions of marrying bad economy while it's pretty evident why China's population is declining the cause is still quite complicated to understand part of the reason why women want to stay single is because of China's dire economic conditions for example China's real estate sector a crucial part of its GDP has collapsed besides youth are primarily unemployed in China and they have to settle for insane practices just to get by for example an article in the South China Morning Post says that young adults in China have chosen to be full-time children dependent on their parents in a similar post on Business Insider young adults in China must share a room with strangers to afford to live in mega cities like Shanghai and Beijing many people speculated that the reason why China's birth rate is declining and the number of single women is increasing in China is because of the one child policy however even when the one child policy officially ended in 2015 the birth rates continue to drop in China for example according to China's national Bureau of Statistics in 2012 there were 16 million births in China however if you look at that number a decade later in 2022 you will find that it has decreased to 10 million The Wall Street Journal posted that China is heading towards a demographic collapse with its population now around 1.4 billion Moonlight Clan China's financial situation is also in Ruins which is why many of the young people in Chinese communities are unemployed most of the young people in China live paycheck to paycheck and don't have any savings young people in China are caught up in living paycheck to paycheck and as a result for them to pursue a dating life is very difficult after all how would they afford the expenses of their partner if they can't even afford their leisurely activities this has led to a widespread phenomenon in China which is known as the Moonlight clan for young people high rent and the High Cost of Living are considerable deterrence to finding the right partner Dan Wang a chief Economist explains that the Moonlight Club is a New Concept and it refers to young people who will spend everything they earn every month she explains that many members of the Moonlight Clan are in heavy debt because of access to online borrowing and lending Professor Jean Yung of the National University of Singapore claims that young people nowadays have given up on saving entirely she explains that they tend to enjoy more rather than work towards their future goals this is also the primary reason they don't have enough money to get married and for a man to marry in China he needs to be financially strong therefore a man who isn't economically stable and prosperous will be unable to marry a woman in China as a result the number of single Chinese women has increased since the majority of the youth in China are delaying Financial Security they also delay marriage and Dan Wang says that out of 1,000 people in the population only 5.4 are married the 996 culture another primary reason why the number of single women in China is increasing at an exponential rate is because of their work life nowadays China is considered one of the leading countries in terms of economy and it has become a big nation that exports its goods globally however the work life balance for its citizens is terrible Chinese culture and the Elite Class have popularized bad work life life balance for example Jack ma the founder of Alibaba taught the youth that if they want to be successful they have to work at least 12 hours a day for 6 days a week this principle is known as 996 where people should work from 9:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. 6 days a week this means people won't have the time to spend on anything else such as finding the right partner if they are so engrossed in their career and work how will they find the right partner to spend their lives with as a result of this culture the marriage rate has declined in China finding love in China has been especially difficult for the Youth because of their financial conditions and their work life balance however another reason why women in China want to stay single is because they have transcended traditional gender roles according to them most men in the Chinese social system are uncomfortable with women earning more than them they believe that men in China's Society want to be the sole provider ERS for their families while the women in their families must look after the children however women in today's China disagree with such an idea they say their career is also significant for them and a marriage is a 50/50 commitment where the husband also has to take care of the children rather than just provide for them financially men in China's social system are uncomfortable with women who are constantly challenging the traditional Norms of Chinese culture which is why they decide not to marry as a result the number of single women in China has increased unprecedentedly e dating apps however even though most of the youth in China are pessimistic about marriage some people have hope since the Advent of advanced technology they have been trying to find the right partner with the help of dating apps the primary apps the Chinese youth use to find a lover are momo tantan and soul these dating apps combined have 150 million active users giving every young person in China an opportunity to find the love of their lives but there's another issue with these dating apps even though the number of dating apps is increasing the number of marriages isn't these dating apps promote short-term flings rather than long-term relationships such as marriages so even though dating apps are pretty popular in China they aren't yielding marriages which is why traditional methods are still prevalent in China One of These conventional methods is asking for help from parents parents this is because the young people in China don't have the time to find the appropriate Partners as a result the older adults in the Chinese communities use their contacts to find suitable mates for their children this type of arranged marriage system has always been a part of Chinese culture even though there are a lot of dating apps in China often parents will find the right match for their daughters however their daughters will refuse to marry the type of person their parents have chosen for them as a result they are shunned by their parents for denying them however in the Chinese social system it isn't just the women who are facing a lot of objectification the men in Chinese Society are also a target of the highly sexist gender norms for example it's demanded unjustly from a very young man to be successful they are instructed to be incredibly masculine however the term masculine in Chinese culture is defined very differently from what it means in Western countries in Western countries masculinity means a man must have personality traits such as earnestness honesty and other Noble qualities on the other hand in the Chinese social system masculinity means that a man must be successful and is deemed successful only if he has material things in his possession everything related to being a successful man in Chinese culture is related to money the number of properties he has and the cars he owns if a man has no worldly possessions he isn't considered a real man and can't marry any woman in China the Chinese government is fretting because of the demographic crisis it's currently facing the population of China is aging at an incredible pace and combined with a declining marriage and birth rate it has become a complicated problem for the Chinese Professor Jean Yung of the National University of Singapore claims that if the number of marriages declines there will be a more significant number of people who will stay Al alone if people are living alone there is a greater chance of people suffering from loneliness and therefore we might see an increase in mental health issues hooku system unlike in Western countries such as America there is no relationship between marriage and birth rate for them a declining marriage rate isn't a problem because people there can still have children even if they are unmarried it isn't a foreign concept for people living in America and they won't be implicated socially in such decisions however in Chinese communities the birth and marriage rates are deeply correlated in China for a single unmarried woman to have a child is a huge problem this is mainly because of China's household registration system the hooku system unmarried Chinese women with children can't register with the hooku system in China for every young couple who has children it's essential to register with the hooku system to get access to health care and education in China it's a requirement for every young female or male to be married first to get registered since the Chinese government was worried about its declining birth rate in 2015 it lifted the one child policy but even though it has almost been a decade China's birth rate hasn't increased yet in 2015 the fertility rate was 1.67 births per woman already below the replacement rate 2.0 in 2022 the fertility rate fell even further to 1.2 two births per woman China is concerned over this because by 2050 it's expected that half of China's population will consist of older adults who can't contribute much to the workforce of a vast country like China in 1980 when China opened itself up to global capitalism and embraced it wholeheartedly its GDP increased exponentially iron ladies to leftover women today China is considered the second greatest economy in the world however it also has several challenges to overcome the primary issue that Chinese people have to face today is the polarization of class along with the increasing gap between men and women the iron ladies once widely respected in old China were the first targets of the Chinese government in 1980 they tried to suppress women and stigmatize women for being a part of the workforce China believes that the declining rate of birth is because women are too focused on their careers rather than than family development so they propagated the idea that the iron ladies were too masculine and therefore needed to regain their femininity by becoming good Mothers and wives they propagated such ideas to boost their birth rate however it was a failed attempt the only thing that happened was that people started to hate the Chinese Communist Party even more a lot of propaganda in the early 1980s and 1990s was designed around the purpose of pushing women back into their homes they did this by presenting the idea of regaining femininity by giving birth and satisfying their husbands even today the propaganda in China is so intense that no matter where you go you will find advertisements of a happy bride living a happy life such propaganda is a desperate attempt to promote the idea of getting married and giving birth to children as soon as possible they spread their propaganda through billboards showing that for a woman to be pleased she needs to get married and give birth to Children the idea that a woman no matter how successful she becomes in her career will always feel empty unless she gives birth is hugely being propagated nowadays in China so people in China have stigmatized the idea of a woman aspiring to have a successful career in her life by saying that she will never find peace unless she finds a man and gets married this stuff is spreading and circulating on Chinese social media and television media however since everyone is living in Modern Times Chinese women are refusing to buy into the social stigma even though they have to face a lot of pressure from their parents to get married soon they pursue their dreams and goals regardless of stigma as a result the number of single women in China has been increasing at an exponential rate and cities like Beijing and Shanghai are full of unmarried yet successful career women changing policies China is worried about its financial situation and it has made some attempts to tackle the issues of declining birth rates and the increasing number of single women China is now changing its policies to promote birth rates and marriage between men and women for example in 2020 the Chinese government extended maternity leave to encourage women who are already married to become pregnant the maternity leave has now been extended to 98 days in the major cities of China where work life balance is tricky to make maintain besides that China also provides proper incentives it has tried to offer Financial incentives for young couples to increase the number of children these incentives include many things such as cash bonuses and tax breaks tax breaks are designed so that every child born into a family will receive a tax cut besides that the Chinese government also provides subsidies for child care expenses however the most important policy changes that will hopefully pull China out of this demographic crisis are the housing benefits they have offered to families with multiple children China realized that the rising cost of real estate is the primary reason why people can't get married so it made specific policies that decreased real estate prices in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing local agencies in China also provide people with one-time housing coupons to purchase houses get married and settle down however expensive housing in China is a secondary issue understanding this entire problem at a deeper level will help you know that falling in love first is essential before marrying after all no one wants to get married to a person with whom they aren't in love to tackle such problems China has provided many students Nationwide with extra vacation time to socialize and fall in love besides that many companies in China offer a single female over 30 with an addition 8 days of annual leave the purpose is to go home and find the right partner for themselves many companies have also decided to shorten the employees overtime hours while making sure that they make the same amount of money even though China has made a lot of attempts to throw out the old 996 principle of success Chinese workers are still working very hard at about 48.8 hours per week when you compare this with Western countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom people work only 36 hours per week China's response to declining birth rates and an increasing number of single women is multifaceted encompassing policy reforms as well as Financial incentives however the effectiveness of these policies remains to be seen and ongoing efforts are being made to address the complex interplay of economic and social factors see you next time

Channel: Top Discovery

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Keywords: discovery, unexplained, mysterious, top 10, top 15, top discovery, space, universe, science, techology, mystery, facts, interesting, discovery channel, discovery plus, scientists discovery, aliens, ufo, terrifying discoveries, top, they discovered, invention, future, galaxy, james webb, elon musk, business, entertainment

Id: KeFnb3Bm9YY

Length: 22min 21sec (1341 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 10 2024