英闻天下——331 China's Unbalanced Sex Ratio and its Ripple Effect

 China's sex ratio is quite worrying nowadays. According to census¹ data, China's sex ratio at birth was 108 males to every 100 females in the early 1980s, only slightly above the natural rate of 103 to 107. In 2000 the ratio was 116.9 males to 100 females, and in 2010 it was 118.08 males to 100 females. In some provinces, such as Anhui, Jiangxi and Shaanxi, the sex ratio had soared to more than 130 males. It is not only a population problem, but also a grave social problem as many men will fail to find a wife. It's estimated that by 2020, China will have 24 million more men than women of marriageable age on the mainland. That means men have to compete against each other to find a wife and women's parents in China are now requiring more than before. For example, some parents will only allow their daughter to marry if the suitor owns a home and a car. Professor Wei Shangjin of Columbia University in the US even said on Fortune magazine that lonely single men are contributing to China's rising house prices.

"The gender² ratio imbalance can be attributed to multiple causes, including a traditional preference for sons, the practice of arranging for sons to take care of elderly parents, illegal sex-selective abortions³ and other factors."

"I am old enough to get married now, but girls, or at least girls' parents, hope I have a house. Although housing prices are extremely high, I have to buy one. My parents might help me with the down payment and I will pay the mortgage."

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

3 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网