China Faces Growing
Sex Imbalance Challenges
The
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has said more than 24 million
Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without
spouses by the Year 2020.
It says the gender imbalance among newborns is the most serious
demographic problem for the country's population of 1.3 billion.
The academy cites sex-specific abortions as a major factor, due
to China's traditional bias towards male children.
According to the academy, gender selection abortions are ‘extremely
common’ especially true in rural areas, and ultra-sound
scans, first introduced in the late 1980s, have increased the
practice.
Implications
The latest figures show that for every 100 girls born in
China, 119 boys are born.
In some provinces, 130 boys are born for each 100
girls.
Researcher Wang Guangzhou, quoted by the Global Times newspaper,
said the implications were that men in poorer parts of China may
remain single throughout their life.
’’The chance of getting married will be rare if a man is more
than 40-years-old in the countryside. They will be more
dependent on social security as they age and have fewer
household resources to rely on,’’ he said.
A reluctance among young urban Chinese to have a first or second
child is exacerbating the problem.
The researchers said the growing imbalance means that forced
prostitution and human trafficking has become ‘rampant’
in some parts of the country.
BBC/Yinka
