英闻天下——331 China's Unbalanced Sex Ratio and its Ripple Effect（在线收听）

 China's sex ratio is quite worrying nowadays. According to census 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 gender 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 abortions 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."