The rise of the middle class in Asian countries and the influx of educated women at workplaces have stirred a continuous debate about the role of women in a rapidly industrializing society. China is no exception. Ambitious Chinese women are breaking the boundaries- and facing the consequences.

A modern urban Chinese woman is educated and has a good job that pays her well, but she and her contemporaries are termed as, “Sheng nu” or ”leftovers” if they are above 27 and “still” single.

For most of these women, it’s suddenly dawns upon them that they are already 28 and still unmarried. By the time they get a masters’ degree, they are 25. It takes some time to find a good job and when they finally get settled down it is really hard to find a compatible partner.

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Like many traditional societies, men in China want to marry women who are younger and preferably lesser educated than them. According to official statistics, there are 20 million more men under 30 than women, so it’s not that there are fewer men. These educated and well-paid women also want to find men who are more educated and who they can have a happy life with.

The “Sheng nu”women also face tough pressure from their relatives, neighbors and their parents to get married. Tian, a young Chinese woman and a journalist by profession, believes that the Chinese have a narrow definition of life, happiness and marriage. She says, “In China, parents feel responsible for their kids and getting them married is a big responsibility.”

A woman is also considered the weaker gender and therefore she needs a man. Women in China have progressed faster than men. “Most educated and well-paid men would want to get married to pretty, young girls,” Tian adds.  It’s sad that even in this modern era when women are reaching places and when economies need to grow, they are being labeled as “leftovers.”

Author: Beenish Javed

Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan

Beenish Javed is a reporter working for ARY News, Islamabad. She has been awarded a two-month long fellowship by the Friedrich Ebert foundation (FES) in Germany and is currently in DW, Bonn. You can follow Beenish on Twitter @Beenishjaved. You can also also see her work at www.beenishjaved.com.