page_title: Sheng nu
section_title: Culture and statistics
hierarchical_section_title: Sheng nu / China / Culture and statistics
caption_attribution_description: 中文（香港）‎: 陳松伶的樣子
context_page_description: Sheng nu is a derogatory term popularized by the All-China Women's Federation that classifies women who remain unmarried in their late twenties and beyond. Most prominently used in China, the term has also been used colloquially to refer to women in India, North America, and other parts of Asia. The term has gone on to become widely used in the mainstream media and has been the subject of several television series, magazine and newspaper articles, and book publications, focusing on the negative connotations and positive reclamation of the term. While initially backed and disseminated by pro-government media in 2007, the term eventually came under criticism from government-published newspapers two years later. Xu Xiaomin of The China Daily described the sheng nus as "a social force to be reckoned with" and others have argued the term should be taken as a positive to mean "successful women". The slang term, 3S or 3S Women, meaning "single, seventies, and stuck" has also been used in place of sheng nu.
  The equivalent term for men, guang gun meaning bare branches, is used to refer to men who do not marry and thus do not add 'branches' to the family tree.
context_section_description: The National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (NBS) and state census figures reported approximately 1 in 5 women between the age of 25-29 remain unmarried. In contrast, the proportion of unwed men in that age range is much higher, sitting at around 1 in 3. In a 2010 Chinese National Marriage Survey, it was reported that 9 out of 10 men believe that women should be married before they are 27 years old. 7.4% of Chinese women between 30-34 were unmarried and the percentage falls to 4.6% between the ages 35–39. In comparison with other neighbouring countries with similar traditional values, these figures put China as having some of the highest female marriage rates in the world. Despite being categorized as a "relatively rare" demographic, the social culture and traditions of China have put the issue in the social spotlight.
  Nevertheless, under the context of the one-child policy, gender selective abortion causes the population of males in China to exceed that of females. As indicated by the relevant data, more than 10% of males aged over 50 will choose not to enter into marriage in 2044. Even under this circumstance, the term “Shengnu” was invented and used in society for the purpose of criticizing those females choosing to live unmarried.
  A study of married couples in China noted that men tended to marry down the socio-economic ladder. "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," says Huang Yuanyuan. "The people left are A-quality women and D-quality men. So if you are a leftover woman, you are A-quality." A University of North Carolina demographer who studies China's gender imbalance, Yong Cai, further notes that "men at the bottom of society get left out of the marriage market, and that same pattern is coming to emerge for women at the top of society".
  China, and many other Asian countries, share a long history of conservative and patriarchal view of marriage and the family structure including marrying at a young age and hypergamy. The pressure from society and family has been the source criticism, shame, social embarrassment and social anxiety for many women who are unmarried. Chen, another women interviewed by the BBC, said the sheng nu are "afraid their friends and neighbours will regard me as abnormal. And my parents would also feel they were totally losing face, when their friends all have grandkids already". Similar sentiment has been shared amongst other women in China, particularly amongst recent university graduates. A report by CNN cited a survey of 900 female university graduates across 17 Chinese universities where approximately 70 percent of those surveyed said "their greatest fear is becoming a 3S lady".
  Under the patriarchy system in China, males tend to come under substantial financial pressure, for example, owning a property and a vehicle is what people attach great importance to regarding marriage in China, which is evidenced by a survey revealing that as few as less than 20% parents of daughter consider the ownership of a property not as a precondition for marriage. Which caused people to lay blame on females. Moreover, the social image of “Shengnu” is made characterized by monetary worship, egocentricity and selfishness. Besides, people consider “Shengnu” as setting the bar high for their future partner but lacking in the virtues required as a tradition in the old times. Some females regard marriage as a springboard to improve the quality of their life. At one of the most popular dating TV show broadcast in China, a female participant blatantly claimed that “I’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle” when an unemployed male participant questioned her whether or not she is willing to take a ride on bike. This remark went viral instantly on social media in China, and attracted widespread criticism from any unmarried females.
  The increasing popularity of unwed women in China has been largely accredited to the growing educated middle class. Women are more free and able
caption: Hong Kong actress Adia Chan starred in the Singaporean Chinese drama television series You Are the One where she portrayed the eldest career-minded sibling.
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