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Chinese Ladies Definition

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Sheng nu (剩女), shèngnǚ or "leftover women" and "leftover ladies" is a pejorative term used and made popular by the All-China Women's Federation that classifies women who remain unmarried in their late twenties and beyond.[1][2] The term is most prominently used in China, including a state sponsored directive and program, but has been used to describe women across Asia, India, and North America.[3][4] Xu Xiaomin of The China Daily described the sheng nu as “a social force to be reckoned with” while others have argued the term should be taken as a positive to mean "successful women".[5][6] The slang term, 3S or 3S Women, meaning "single, seventies (1970s), and stuck" has also been used in place of sheng nu.[7] The equivalent term for men, guang gun (光棍) meaning bare branches, is used to refer to men who do not marry and thus do not add 'branches' to the family tree.[8]

Contents [hide]

1 Background

2 China

3 In other cultures

3.1 United States

3.2 Other countries

4 See also

5 Further reading

6 References

Background[edit]

Sex ratio at birth in mainland China, males per 100 females, 1980-2010.

The one-child policy (Family Planning Program) and sex-selective abortions in China have caused a noticeable disproportion in the country's gender balance.[1][2] Since 1979, when one-child policy was introduced, approximately 20 million more men than women have been born, or 120 males to 100 females born,[9][10] and by 2020, China is expected to have 24 million more men than women.[11] The global average is 103 males to 107 females.[12]

Government sign stating: "For a prosperous, powerful nation and a happy family, please use birth planning."

According to The New York Times, the State Council of the People's Republic of China (Central People's Government) issued an edict in 2007 regarding the Population and Family Planning Program (one-child-policy) to address the urgent gender imbalance and cited it as a major "threat to social stability".[13] The council further cited “upgrading population quality (suzhi)” as one of its primary goals and appointed the All-China Women's Federation, a state agency established in 1949 to “protect women’s rights and interests”, to oversee and resolve the issue.[13]

The exact etymology of the term is not conclusively known, but most reliable sources cite it has having begun in the mainstream in 2006. The China Daily reported in 2011 that Xu Wei, the editor-in-chief of the Cosmopolitan Magazine China, created the term for the first time in 2006.[14] In 2007, the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China released an official statement defining sheng nu as any "unmarried women over the age of 27" and added it to the national lexicon.[13] The ministry categorized it as a "failure to find a husband" due to an "overly high expectations for marriage partners" in a subsequent statement.[15] According to various sources, the government mandated the All-China Women's Federation to publish series of articles stigmatizing unwed women who were in their late twenties.[1][13][16]

In March 2011, the All-China Women's Federation posted a controversial article titled 'Leftover Women Do Not Deserve Our Sympathy' shortly after International Women’s Day.[13] An excerpt states, "Pretty girls do not need a lot of education to marry into a rich and powerful family. But girls with an average or ugly appearance will find it difficult" and "These girls hope to further their education in order to increase their competitiveness. The tragedy is, they don't realise that as women age, they are worth less and less. So by the time they get their MA or PhD, they are already old - like yellowed pearls."[1] An estimated 15 articles were available on its website relating to the subject of sheng nu, including matchmaking advice and tips.[1]

China[edit]

The National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (NBS) and state Census figures reported approximately 1 in 5 women between the age of 25-29 remain unmarried.[1] In contrast, the proportion of unwed men in that age range is much higher, sitting at around 1 in 3.[3] In a 2010 Chinese National Marriage Survey, it was reported that 9 out of 10 men believe that women should be married before they are 27 years old.[1]

Model, film, and television superstar Lin Chi-ling, born 1974, represents the university educated, financially successful, and wealthy "A-quality women" that have remained unmarried beyond their late twenties.

Another study of married couples in China noted that men tended to marry down the socio-economic ladder.[3] "There is an opinion that A-quality guys will find B-quality women, B-quality guys will find C-quality women, and C-quality men will find D-quality women," says Huang Yuanyuan.[1] "The people left are A-quality women and D-quality men. So if you are a leftover woman, you are A-quality."[1] A University of North Carolina demographer who studies China's gender imbalance, Yong Cai, further notes that "men at the bottom of society get left out of the marriage market, and that same pattern is coming to emerge for women at the top of society".[10]

China, and many other Asian countries, share a long history of conservative and patriarchal view of marriage and the family structure including marrying at a young age and hypergamy.[3][15][17] The pressure from society and family has been the source criticism, shame, and social embarrassment and social anxiety for many women who are unmarried.[3] Chen, another women interviewed by the BBC, said the sheng nu are "afraid their friends and neighbours will regard me as abnormal. And my parents would also feel they were totally losing face, when their friends all have grandkids already".[1] Similar sentiment has been shared amongst other women in China, particularly recent university graduates. A report by CNN cited a survey of 900 female university graduates across 17 Chinese universities where approximately 70 percent of those surveyed said "their greatest fear is becoming a 3S lady".[18]

Aside from the government message, the term has been prevalent in other media including viral videos, newspapers, and pundits that have sharply criticized women for "waiting it out for a man with a bigger house or fancier car".[10]

The increasing popularity of unwed women in China has been largely accredited to the growing educated middle class.[5] Women are more free and able to live independently in comparison to previous generations.[5] Forbes reported that in 2013, "11 of the 20 richest self-made women in the world are Chinese".[19] In addition, it cites that Chinese female CEO's make up 19 percent of women in management jobs making it the second highest worldwide after Thailand.[20] Another noted outcome has been the reluctance amongst male partners to date women who are professionally more successful than they or unwilling to give up work or both.[15] A rapidly growing trend in premarital sex has been commonly surveyed and noted amongst women in China.[17] In 1989, 15% of Chinese women engaged in premarital sex against 2013 where between 60-70% had done so.[17] Chinese Academy of Social Sciences professor Li states that this shows an increase in the types of relationships amongst new generations in China.[17]

A movement in China to have the word banned from most government websites, including the All-China Women's Federation website, was marginally successful.[2] The wording was changed to "old unmarried women", but sheng nu remains a widespread and mainstream idea.[2] The term has also been embraced by some feminists with the opening of 'sheng nu' social clubs.[3] In an interview with fashion editor Sandra Bao by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Bao stated that "many modern, single women in China enjoy their independence and feel comfortable holding out for the right man, even as they grow older." She further explained, “We don’t want to make compromises because of age or social pressure”.[3]

Between 2008 and 2012, sociologist Sandy To, while at the University of Cambridge, conducted a 'grounded theory method' study in China regarding the topic.[21] To's research focused on "marriage partner choice" by Chinese professional women in the form of a typology of four different "partner choice strategies".[21] The main finding of the study found that contrary to the popular belief that highly educated and single women remain unmarried, or do not want to take on traditional roles in marriage, because of personal preference, that in contrast, they commonly have an appetite for marriage and that their main obstacle is traditional patriarchal attitudes.[21] The study also pointed out that in other Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, where women have been receiving a higher education, that correspondingly, the average age of marriage amongst them is much higher.[22] The Chinese People's Daily cited a 2012 United Nations survey that found 74 percent of women in the United Kingdom and 70 percent of women in Japan were single between the ages of 25 and 29.[4]

The Chinese television comedy My Eldest Girl Should Get Married, which premièred on CCTV-8, revolves around the principal concept of sheng nu as a family frantically searches for a prospective spouse of the main character who is in her 30s.[23] Other commercial interests have taken advantage of the situation such as the increased popularity of "boyfriends for hire".[24] The concept has also been turned into a popular television drama series called Renting a Girlfriend for Home Reunion.[24]

Experts have further theorized about the term's longevity as the National Population and Family Planning Commission have been moving towards phasing out the one-child policy in favour of an "appropriate and scientific family planning policy (one-child policy)" where the child limit may be increased.[5][12]

In other cultures[edit]

The 1986 cover of Newsweek that discussed unmarried women in America.[1]

United States[edit]

Comparisons have been made to a 1986 Newsweek cover and featured article that said "women who weren't married by 40 had a better chance of being killed by a terrorist than of finding a husband".[1] Newsweek eventually apologized for the story and in 2010 launched a study that discovered 2 in 3 women who were 40 and single in 1986 had married since.[1] According to the BBC, it caused a "wave of anxiety" amongst professional and highly educated women in the United States.[1] The article was cited several times in the 1993 Hollywood film Sleepless in Seattle starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.[1] The Chinese People's Daily noted a United Nations, mentioned earlier, that in the United States in 2012, nearly half of all women between 25 and 29 were single.[4]

The term bachelorette is used to describe any unmarried women who is still single.[25] The popular American reality television series The Bachelorette capitalizes on matchmaking often successful businesswomen in their mid to late twenties with other eligible bachelors.[26]

Other countries[edit]

Similar terms have been noted to exist in other cultures and countries throughout history dating as far back as 16th century. In the same 2012 UN study cited by the Chinese People's Daily reported that in Britain 74 percent and in Japan 70 percent of all women between 25 and 29 were single.[4]

A feature in the People's Daily focused on the reception of the concept of sheng nu from netizens outside of China, particularly in Asia, specifically Korea, Japan, and India.[4] One Japanese netizen noted that during the 1980s, the term Christmas cakes was commonly used to refer to women who were unmarried and beyond the national age average of married women.[4] The actual reference to Christmas cakes is the saying, "who wants Christmas cakes after December 25".[4] Another contributor wrote, similarly "a class of highly educated, independent age 27+ women who choose to live a more liberated life and put their talent/skill to good use in society" is happening in India.[4] "People must make their own choices and must simply refuse others' labels and be blissfully happy," she further explained.[4]

During the Elizabethan era, the term spinster or 'old maid' was used to describe unmarried or single women of a marriageable age.[27] Subsequently, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, the term surplus women was used to describe the excess of unmarried women in Britain.[28]

Catherinette was a traditional French label for women 25 years old or older who were still unmarried by the Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria on 25 November.[29] The French idiom, “to do St. Catherine’s hair,” meaning “to remain an old maid" is also associated with this tradition.

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