'Wife Shortage' to Hit Nation in 2020s
(China Daily July 7, 2007)
Today's boys may face a major problem when they become tomorrow's men - they will find it very difficult to get hitched, simply because there won't be enough women.
Sociologists are calling for swift measures to be taken to address the nation's growing gender ratio imbalance.
China now has 37 million more males than females, the People's Daily reported on Friday, without giving the source.
And the number of males below the age of 15 is 18 million more than females in the same age group, the report said.
A census in 2000 showed that the gender ratio between female and male infants was 100 to 116.9, with this widening to 100 to 118.88 in 2005.
Regional disparity also exists, with some areas reporting a ratio of 100 to 138, such as southern China's
Guangdong and
Hainan provinces.
"Currently, the problem does not seem to be very serious," said Tian Xueyuan, deputy director of the China Population Society. "But if it remains unchecked, when they reach the marriage age, problems will occur."
Zheng Zhenzhen, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that 10 percent of males may have difficulties finding a wife in two decades time.
"An imbalanced gender ratio will naturally lead to problems in terms of seeking spouses," Zheng said. "And less competitive males could be forced out."
Crimes targeting women are on the rise in some places where the imbalance is at its greatest, the report said, quoting sources with the National Population and Family Planning Commission.
Tian said that a deeply rooted traditional concept that "boys are better than girls" is the reason behind the imbalanced ratio.
"Agriculture has dominated China for thousands of years," he said. "In an economic sense, there is a far greater need for boys than girls in the fields."
The leaves were so beautiful this fall! I thought since we've had such a horrible drought, the leaves would just turn brown and fall off the trees. It was just the opposite. The leaves were incredible colors and they stayed on the trees much longer than usual. The temperature stayed really warm all fall so the children were playing outside constantly.
We spent Thanksgiving with my family in North Carolina. As usual, we ate entirely too much food. My brother brought up fresh oysters from Apalachicola, Florida. The guys smoked them on the Big Green Egg. They were delicious! If you don't know what a Big Green Egg is, go to the link.
The day after Thanksgiving Andrew loves to go to work at the Christmas store with my Dad. This year he was promoted to fudge sample cutter. The employees of the Christmas store are so patient and sweet to him that it really is one of his most favorite things to do.
Keith got front row tickets for my mom, Anslee and myself to see Disney Princesses on Ice. It was even more exciting than I had imagined. When the guy was going to try the glass slipper on Cinderella, he came off the ice and tried it on Anslee! She was stunned but then talked about it for days afterwards. After the show she was able to shake Minnie Mouse's and Ariel's hands. Ariel has been her very favorite princess and that cemented it!
Breakfast with Santa at the Buckhead Diner starts the Christmas season for me. The real Santa comes on a firetruck and talks with each of us at our tables and then the children all get a chance to sit on his lap and read Santa their Christmas wish list. He is amazing!
The weekend before Christmas, my parents, two of my sisters and their families, Keith's mom, his sister and her family all came to our house for a great get together. Andrew and Anslee adore their cousins and love getting to spend time with them.
