The gender gap is a big problem in the Middle Kingdom – and its ‘leftover men’ are going to great lengths to find a wife.
In China, there is a name for unmarried men over 30. Shengnan, meaning “leftover men” have yet to find a wife – and in a country with a growing gender gap, that’s a big problem.
By 2020, it’s estimated there will be 30 million more men than women looking for a partner
China has many millions more men than women, a hangover of the country's one-child policy, which was overturned in 2015, though its effects will last decades more. The gender imbalance is making it hard for many men to find a partner – and the gap is likely to widen.
And to avoid prying questions from inquisitive parents, some men are even resorting to hiring “fake” girlfriends to present to their parents using apps such as Hire Me Plz.Reports suggest hiring a girlfriend can cost up to 10,000 yuan ($1,450) a day.
The problems for men in finding a partner are most acute in poorer rural areas, made worse by long-held traditions that the husband must be able to offer a decent level of financial security before he can secure a wife.