For years we’ve heard about the plight of little girls in China. We’ve seen the images and heard the stories. But have you given thought to what happens when these little girls grow up in a country so focused on the dominance and importance of men? I admit I haven’t given it a lot of thought, sadly.
While women in Canada can certainly appreciate the annoyance of their older aunt asking, “When are you going to settle down already?” as a part of older attitudes, we can (for the most part) shrug it off, supported by our friends and family who know that marriage is not THE defining moment in most women’s lives, and that a life can be fulfilling and successful without a spouse. In China, it’s entirely different.
In China society will label you as ‘left-over’ if you haven’t settled down and married by the age of 25.
Women in China are educating themselves and becoming more independent than ever before, and it hasn’t gone over well. In fact, the All-China Women’s Federation launched the term Sheng Nu in 2007. It translates to ”leftover woman” and, as has been reported by the BBC, The New York Times and The China Daily, it has been used to classify woman who remain unmarried after the age of 25, implying that they have been passed over by men.
Unbelievable, right? Except it’s real and happening in 2016.
In China’s biggest cities so called marriage markets are common sight. Here, parents go to post, compare and match personal ads, listing the height, weight, salary, values and personality of their sons and daughters. In many cases, women are unaware that their parents have listed them at a marriage market.
In spite of all this, Chinese women are fighting fiercely for their right to marry who and when they want.
A film, just released today, shares a social experiment (though very real) on what happens when the filmmakers did a makeover of the marriage market. A huge and beautiful installation was made with their own ”marriage ads” that were in fact not ads but messages from hundreds of independent women/daughters, stating that they want to be in control of their own destiny.
The result is a film about the inspirational women who won’t let pressure dictate their future. The film shows that Sheng Nus are not leftovers but on the contrary, strong women who choose if and when they want to get married.
I also hadng given this much thought. We areso lucky to live in a society like we do, where a woman can choose whom to marry if and when she wants.
This is hard to believe, the women should be allowed to marry who they want and when!! I have heard many horror stories of Chinese baby girls also, it’s almost like they do not care for the female race!!
In this day and age every woman should have the right to choose whomever she wants to marry and if she wants to wait past the age of 25 she should be able to. This is totally wrong what China is doing.
China isn’t the only country who tries to arrange marriages in 2016 – 100 years ago in Canada, 25 and unmarried you were labeled an old maid – a spinster – hopefully things change all over the world.
I’ve never wanted to get married and although I’ve felt some pressure it hasn’t been too bad. I can’t imagine feeling passed over at 25! I really hope that these women feel the same freedom that we have some day.
I hope that young women in China will one day be free to choose who and when they marry.
Sadly it’s not the only country that there seems to be very little respect for women and their rights.
Sure makes me realize how lucky I am to live in Canada! Hopefully in time, attitudes in China will change!
wow I couldn’t even imagine! at any point especially in this day and age we shouldn’t be told who we have to spend the rest of our lives with. It’s such a sad thing 🙁
I couldn’t even imagine being told who to marry its shocking,i hope some day Chinese women gain their right to marry who and when they want.
Thanks for sharing this. Really a sad reality
Thanks for sharing. I agree it is an important story that must be shared.
Thank you for sharing
Just imagine that’s the way it was in North America about one hundred years ago, I couldn’t imagine that today.
Thanks to all the women who fought for women’s rights, they fought for all of us the way the women in China are now!
I have read quite a bit about this aND now that I habe a daughter I feel even more blessed to live where I do
It’s so sad these poor women have to go through this , wow they should have a voice and say it like it is and what they want 🙁 really sad
I have to admit that I have heard bits & pieces but have never really given it a lot of thought. Sad that something like this still exists in 2016.
wow !! A women should be aloud to make her own decisions on who she wants to marry
Hard to believe that in 2016, women in some parts of the world are still being told who they can marry.
We are so fortunate that we live in a country that allows us such basic freedoms!
I was aware that male children were preferred and females were often left on church or orphanage steps. But I can’t believe that some cultures are still this way in 2016. We’ve come a long way baby, but we still have a long way to go.
We need to pray for them.
So great that they are being given a chance to advocate for themselves. Hard to believe that this is the case there still but sometimes, I think it’s still the case here to a lesser extent.
so hard to believe things like this still happen in the world around us. Change needs to happen now!
I feel sad for countries who abide by these rules, and I am also saddened that China is so overpopulated and the country has been brainwashed to believe that baby girls are not desirable and therefore unwanted.
It’s truly heartbreaking that woman are still being treated this way, it’s archaic!
What a moving subject! I love watching and learning from women who challenge and inspire and emit so much courage and strength!!!!
It’s disgraceful for the women in China to be labeled like that and to carry this stigma on their shoulders.They are brave and within their rights to stand up to this name calling and be treated with more respect.
I read the stories, and I can’t even imagine the fear that young girls have. Dealing with family pressure, and marrying older men.
marriage markets…..wow!
This is very sad. Thanks for sharing.
I am speechless! A marriage market? Left-overs? Unbelievable! It’s so hard to think this way in 2016. May they find the strength and courage to overcome!
I work with two people that grew up in China and left just recently, and it is amazing how their perception of most everything is so different due to how their news is broadcast (or not).
This makes me so sad thanks for sharing
I worked with a girl that had to go back home to marry a fellow she had never met. She was nervous but said that this was how it was. I have never seen her again. I hope life has been good to her.
Thanks for the info about the film. I do want to learn more so this is great.