Sheng Nu (Leftover Women) in China

Background

Individualism is often the term used for Western women’s late marriages, but things are quite different in China. From the traditional values to the patriarchal culture, no matter how educated or career-driven Chinese women are, they are still expected to get married before they turn thirty. In fact, independent career women are discriminated against in the Chinese culture and often shamed for not fitting into traditional roles. These women are referred to Sheng Nu, a derogatory term meaning “leftover women.”

Although China has made tremendous socioeconomic development over the past few decades, the expectation for women to wed early has not changed. As there are growing number of women who remain unwed by their late twenties, the society at large lacks positive traits associated with these women who are pursuing their career. Women labelled as Sheng Nu are often portrayed as “selfish, picky, and only interested in men with financial resources.”

Sheng Nu in the Media

Sheng Nu, despite it being a Chinese saying, has caught international attention. Some believe that the internationalization of the issue began with a powerful documentary-style video advertisement done by the Japanese prestige beauty brand SK-II. Since then, many reputable news sources have reported on the Sheng Nu topic. A brief list of articles includes BBC’s “Emotional advert about China’s leftover women’ goes viral,” Vogue’s “Unmarried and Over 27? In China, That Makes You a ‘Leftover Woman’,” and The Telegraph’s “Heart-wrenching commercial empowering the 'leftover' Chinese women goes viral.”

Theories on the Emergence of Sheng Nu

There are many theories on the emergence of Sheng Nu, some argue that it is a mix of factors that coined the term.

Higher Education for Women

Women in China have been taking on high-level jobs in recent decades, something highly unusual in the past. Some people suspect that the Sheng Nu phenomenon is caused by “discriminatory and controlling constraints by men” and ultimately stems from jealousy of women’s accomplishments.

Government Propaganda

“Chinese women's urgent quest to find a husband by age 27, age 30, is the result of a government propaganda campaign on shengnu.” “In 2007, the Women’s Federation defined “leftover” women (sheng nu) as unmarried women over the age of 27 and China’s Ministry of Education added the term to its official lexicon. Since then, the Women’s Federation Web site has run articles stigmatizing educated women who are still single.” Since then, the term has spread like a wildfire and caught international attention.

Problems with the Sheng Nu Phenomenon

As women in China continue to strive for professional success, statistically, it will become more difficult for find a male partner with higher accomplishments.

The Need to Change

“Women too might need to lower their sights to be willing to consider men who may have fewer economic prospects than themselves. In this way the fortress of mendang hudui (partners must match in economic and social status) might crumble in future.”

The Paradox

China has had a birth control policy since the 1970’s. This led to a much higher percentage of males being born over females. “This situation [] has not actually improved women's position in society as they now have to confront a paradox: encouraged as young girls to become educated, cosmopolitan and independent, they are later subjected to heavy pressure to get married by age 30 at the latest to ensure perpetuation of the family line.”

Solutions

“Solutions” for the problem of Sheng Nu emerged. This ranges from “a proliferation of nation-wide matchmaking reality shows [to] matchmaking events across public parks in almost every mainland Chinese city where parents advertise their daughters' physical and economic attributes on billboards in the hopes of getting them married off as soon as possible.”

Matchmaking Shows in China

Most of the dating shows in China have the revered setting as the American TV show The Bachelorette; many female contestants are fighting over one male contestant. “If You are the One” is the popular Chinese dating show with over 610 episodes so far. There are also other matchmaking shows, such as “Chinese Dating” that lets parents choose wives for their sons. “Chinese Dating” has been heavily criticized. “Many say it reflects the “Giant Infant” culture described by psychologist Wu Zhihong in her acclaimed book The Giant Baby Nation, which examines psychological problems in modern China caused by collectivism and blind filial piety.”

Matchmaking Events in Parks

The culture of matchmaking has been around for centuries in China, but matchmaking events have never been more popular. Matchmaking events in parks started “when a few hobby matchmakers decided to meet, exchange photos, and set up dates for their acquaintances. [] Their success rate was surprisingly high, and the word got around, so more and more people were bringing their kids’ information in hope of a good match.”

Hiring Fake Boy Friends

As the ladies labelled as Sheng Nu face the highest pressures from family members, Chinese New Year and other festivals are the toughest times for them. Whenever they visit their families without a significant other, they are faced with heavy criticisms and disappointed looks. Since the term Sheng Nu was coined, there has been an emergence of “rental boy friends” available for relieving familial pressures. In 2016, the ongoing rate for a rental boy friend in China is around $150USD a day. The service is so popular that there has been several documentaries made, with Al Jazeera’s “China’s Fake Boyfriends” being the most well-known film.