January 12, 2007
NOT A MATTER OF WHETHER THEY'LL HAVE A WAR...:
Chinese facing shortage of wives (BBC, 1/12/07)
China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women by 2020, making it difficult for them to find wives, according to a national report.The gender imbalance could lead to social instability, the report by the State Population and Family Planning Commission warned.
It found that around 118 boys were born to every 100 girls in 2005.
A traditional preference for boys, in a country with a one-child policy, is the root of the problem, the report says.
Abortions on female foetuses are believed to be widespread as couples, particularly in rural areas, hope for a son who will look after them in their old age.
...just whether it will be external or internal. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 12, 2007 6:22 PM
In the old days, it's common for a Chinese man to have a couple of wives. It is about time for a Chinese woman to have a couple of husbands in 2020?
Posted by: ic at January 12, 2007 10:28 PMMike B,
I was told there would be no math? Anyway, it seems India has approximately 30 million more men than women. These two countries sound evenly matched with a mutual problem of equivalent size.
Maybe if they read this blog they will stop murdering little girls.
Posted by: Macduff at January 13, 2007 4:07 AMThe commie b*st*rds just need to tweak the policy. Allow couples to keep having children until they finally have a son. Every time a girl is born, give them some commie money.
That was easy.
Posted by: AllenS at January 13, 2007 6:05 AMThey don't need blogs, but Bibles.
Posted by: oj at January 13, 2007 10:49 AMPatrick:
They aren't. One has the U.S. and Israel as allies.
Posted by: oj at January 13, 2007 10:51 AMThe problem, AllenS, is that in any enviroment where the State pays, helps, insures, supports, etc, extra people show up as liabilities on the budget. That's what gave power and motivation to one child policies and zero population growth movements. It's hard to get people to lose money now so someone else can make money in twenty years, unless Love is involved.
Posted by: Robert Mitchell Jr. at January 13, 2007 10:57 AMA nation of only children is unlikely to attack anybody.
Posted by: Joseph Hertzlinger at January 14, 2007 4:30 AMComplicating factor: the same one child policy. China has no social safety net to speak of, and many of its banks are houses of cards. But a 1-child policy means on average, each one of those young males is the sole hope for support of at least 2 and very likely 4 (if he succeeds in marrying) people as they get older. And Chinese norms are still that this responsibility is real and deep.
Can a nation have a surplus of young males, and still be structurally casualty-averse? Very possibly.
Posted by: Joe Katzman at January 14, 2007 8:16 PMNo. Why would unattached young men accept the responsibility?
Posted by: oj at January 14, 2007 9:48 PMTrackBack
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» China: No Woman, No Cry from China Law Blog
Much has been written lately regarding China's gender gap and how by 2020, there will be 30 million more men than women in China. Many are predicting this lack of gender balance will lead to all sorts of social problems, including increased crime and i... [Read More]