Why 30 million Chinese men could end up as perpetual bachelors

World Today

PHOTO: CFP

More than 30 million Chinese men could end up remaining bachelors for a simple reason – there are not enough women for them to marry.
According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s sex ratio for the entire population of 1.37 billion stood at 105.02 men for every 100 women in 2015, while the sex ratio at birth was at 113.51 boys for every 100 girls.

That is far above the biologically natural sex ratios at birth, which range from 103 to 107 boys for every 100 girls.

The only silver lining in this situation, however, is that this abnormal sex ratio has been improving over the past seven years.

Gender imbalance grew in China from the 1980s to 2004, when the sex ratio at birth peaked at an astounding 121.18. The figure then improved to 115.8 in 2014, before falling to the current 113.51 level.

Still, China has the worst-ever gender gap in the world, according to a statement issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission on its website in 2015.

Many analysts have blamed the country’s recently abandoned One-Child Policy along with a traditional preference for male heirs, whose duty it is to care for their parents in old age, for the state of affairs.

The decades-old one-child policy not only led to declining fertility rates, but also played a role in reshaping the gender makeup, with couples favoring bearing sons.

However, that trend has begun to change over the past few years, and now with the country changing course and allowing all couples to have two children, it is likely that the situation will continue to improve.

Read more:

Infographic: The Gender Pay Gap In Developed Nations Visualised | Statista
You will find more statistics at Statista

Story by CCTV NEWS.