Urban, Well-Educated, Ambitious: The Sexist Narrative of Leftover Women

"Do leftover women really deserve our sympathy? Girls with an average or ugly appearance … 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."
Women's Federation, China (article on their website)



Due to the long Chinese tradition of preferring sons, there are more men than women who have not yet found a partner. But among the unmarried people, women seem to be the problem (via) and are blamed for marriage market challenges (Feldshuh, 2017). Women who have not married in their early 20s in rural areas and by the age of 27 in cities are called "leftover women" in China. In 1982, less than 5% of women reached their late 20s without getting married. Now, almost 30% of urban Chinese women are single despite being in their late 20s. (via).

"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. The people left are A-quality women and D-quality men. So if you are a leftover woman, you are A-quality." Huang Yuanyuan

Most "leftover women" are urban, well-educated and have thriving careers. No matter how impressive their educational or professional accompllishments, women are devalued if they have not married by a certain age. The higher their education, the smaller the chances to find a suitable husband since men show a tendency to feel intimidated by women who are their equals. Chinese single women with a PhD are referred to as the "third sex" as men - even academics - do not wish to marry them (via). These women "threaten the moral fabric ... for being free agents, unnatural in failing to perform their duty to give birth to a child and tame a restless man." (via)

Young women who do not have advanced degrees and have not traveled to other countries often end up with men who are called “shake-and-bake” husbands: “the kind who, shortly after shaking his hand, you are married to and baking his children.” (via)

The economic consequences of being forced into marriage are extremely troubling for women, e.g. concerning property (via), having a child as a single parent is illegal and single mothers have to pay high "social compensation fees", employers require female job applicants to indicate their marital status (via), parents feel disrespected and humiliated (via).

In a bid to end the ‘humiliation’ of not having a married son or daughter, a growing number of parents are venturing back in to the dating game, and finding a partner for their single son or daughter. Known as ‘marriage markets,” parents of single children gather in selected city parks, in the hope of matching their child with the offspring of another desperate parent. (via)

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- Feldshuh, H. (2017). Gender, media, and myth-making: constructing China#s leftover women. Asian Journal of Communication, 28(1), 38-54.
- photograph by Yau Leung (1941-1997) via