Economics professor’s solution to China’s 35 million ‘leftover men’ left social media divided

China faces a unique demographic challenge – it has almost 35 million so-called “leftover men”. The surplus is largely caused by the decades-long one-child policy, which has distorted gender ratios and left many men struggling to find wives. The problem has intensified over the past decade, especially in rural areas, as high bride prices and changing attitudes toward traditional marriage make it more difficult for young people to marry.

Ding Changfa, associate professor of economics at Xiamen University, came up with a solution to this problem: international marriages. According to a report in The South China Morning Post, he suggested that Chinese men could look to countries such as Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Pakistan to find brides. This, he argued, could help ease pressure on men who cannot afford the rising costs of marriage in China.

The proposal to encourage international marriages as a solution to the country’s 35 million surplus men, however, has sparked widespread debate and outrage online.

READ ALSO ON ABP LIVE | ‘Aaja! Aaja’: 3 injured as leopard attacks ‘taunting’ picnics in MP’s Shahdol

Marriage is an expensive affair for men in China

China’s gender imbalance, largely blamed on the decades-old one-child policy, has resulted in a surplus of nearly 35 million men, according to the country’s 2020 Seventh National Population Census. A report from the Institute of China Rural Studies in Central China Normal University, published earlier this year, highlights how rising bride prices and declining acceptance of traditional marriage are the main reasons behind this trend, the SCMP report states.

Men in China apparently end up paying a bride price of up to 600,000 yuan (almost Rs 71 lakh). The average disposable income in rural areas, the report says, was just over 20,000 yuan last year, making marriage increasingly unaffordable.

Offering a solution, Ding Changfa suggested that bringing in foreign brides could be the way forward.

“In rural China, we have approximately 34.9 million ‘leftover men’ who can face the pressures of marriage to provide housing, cars and bride price totaling between 500,000 and 600,000 yuan ($70,000 and $84,000).” , Ding was quoted as saying in the SCMP report he added: “Resolving this problem could involve attracting a significant number of eligible young people from abroad.”

A 2013 study titled “Chinese Male Surplus: Demographic Determinants of China’s Marriageable Age Sex Ratio” examined the factors behind China’s unbalanced marriageable age sex ratio. Using a stable population model, the study identified key contributors, including sex ratio at birth, population growth, age difference between spouses, and survival rates from birth to marriageable age.

The study suggested that policies focused on reducing the sex ratio at birth, reducing the marriage age gap and modestly increasing fertility rates would help address the imbalance. However, these changes will take time and the imbalance is expected to persist until at least 2060.

The study also highlighted the need for long-term cultural changes, such as encouraging more equitable gender norms and increasing the value placed on female children. Even with political changes, a significant number of single men will continue to shape China’s social, political and economic landscape in the coming decades, he noted.

READ ALSO ON ABP LIVE | Woman loses over Rs 87,000 at Bengaluru airport in lounge scam: Here’s how it works

Online outrage over proposal to encourage international marriages

Although international marriages are not uncommon in China, the proposal was not well received by the online community.

Critics, especially women, have condemned the idea as akin to human trafficking, while others have raised concerns about cultural and linguistic differences leading to family conflicts.

Some men, however, supported the proposal, considering foreign brides to be less financially demanding.

One user, cited in the report, compared international marriages to the entry of foreign companies like Tesla into China, which, they argued, promoted competition, improved quality and reduced costs.

International marriages already have buyers in China, and some dating agencies even offer specialized services for China-Russia couples, taking advantage of gender imbalances in both countries – the surplus of women in Russia and the surplus of men in China.