Gender imbalance makes singles harder to find wives

Men in Chinese mainland outnumbered women by 33.66 million in a country of more than 1.37 billion by the end of 2015. This imbalance has led to great concern over the difficulty of finding a partner for the left-over men.

截至2015年末，总人口超过13.7亿的中国，大陆男性人口比女性多3366万，男女失衡现象引发了很大的关注，“剩男”们忧虑将无妻可娶。

According to figures released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday, the number of men in the Chinese mainland stands at 704,14 million while the number of their counterparts is 670,48 million by the end of 2015.

据周二国家统计局公布的数据显示，2015年末，中国大陆男性人口70414万，女性人口67048万。

For every 113.51 boys born there were 100 girls (the natural rate is 102 to 107 boys to every 100 girls), the data showed.

数据显示，每113.51名新生男婴对应100名新生女婴（自然出生人口性别比为102-107名男婴对应100名女婴）。

Though still far beyond the natural rate, China's sex ratio at birth plunged by 2.37 from 115.88 of last year, the biggest drop in the last seven years.

虽然仍远低于自然比例，与2014年出生人口性别比115.88相比，中国出生人口性别比下降了2.37，过去七年内降幅最大。

The Chinese government strived to "lower the sex ratio at birth to 115 or below" during 2011-15, as it is proposed in the 12th Five Years Plan for National Population Development.

在2011年至2015年期间，中国政府努力降低出生人口性别比至115或以下，这也是国家人口发展十二五规划中提出的指标。

To balance the population, China further relaxed its more than three-decade-old family planning policy to allow all couples to have two children since the start of 2016.

为平衡人口，2016年初中国进一步放松了实行三十年余久的计划生育政策，全面放开二孩政策。

China, like other countries with Asian cultures, held a historic preference for male offspring over female ones. Conservatives, especially old-fashioned clans in rural areas, regard boys as the only recognized heirs to carry on a family line.

与其他亚洲文化圈国家相似，中国有着重男轻女的历史思想，传统保守的人们仍认为男孩是家里唯一传宗接代的香火，这一现象在一些农村地区守旧家族里尤为明显。

The family planning policy, which was introduced in the 1980s to encourage each couple to have just one child, has pushed the sex ratio at birth up to some degree.

计划生育政策在20世纪80年代出台，鼓励一对夫妻只生一个孩子，这一政策使得出生人口性别比上升到一定比例。

Some families prefer boys if they can only have one child, said Chen Jian, Vice President of China Society of Economic Reform, adding that the gap between sexes at birth will narrow as the two-child policy is implemented.

中国社会经济体制改革研究会副会长陈建表示，如果只能生一个孩子，有些家庭更愿意选择男孩，他还补充道，二孩政策的实施将缓解男女性别比的失衡。

If the sex gap continues to exist, it will threaten the population ecology and sustainable economic and social development, said Chen.

若性别失衡仍这样持续下去，将威胁到人口生态、经济及社会的可持续发展。

"The most noticeable impact is a marriage squeeze. Left-over men will find it more difficult to marry women", Chen added.

“最显著的影响是婚姻挤压，性别比中剩余的男性择偶将更加困难”，陈建补充道。

The sex imbalance will also increase the imbalance of genders in the workplace. "Surplus male labor will intensify the competition in the labor job market and increase the difficulty for women to get a job", said Li Jianxin, professor at Department of Sociology, Peking University.

男女失衡也将增加工作场所性别失衡的现象，“剩余的男性劳动力将加剧劳动力市场的激烈竞争，女性就业更加困难，”北京大学社会学系教授李建新表示。

Even the financial industry may be affected. "The left-over men will drag down businesses like credit card, loan, insurance as well as the credit system", said Yi Fuxian, a researcher on demographic policy at the University of Wisconsin.

甚至金融行业也将受到影响，“剩余的男性将拖垮信用卡、借贷、保险和信用体系等业务，”威斯康星大学人口政策研究院易富贤表示。

In contrast, a balanced sex ratio would boost China's economy.

相比之下，均衡的性别比将促进中国经济的发展。

The implementation of the two-child policy will greatly increase the number of new-born babies, said Wang Peian, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

二孩政策的实施将大大增加新生人口数量，国家卫计委副主任王培安表示。

When they reach working age, the dependency ratio of the population will go down while the potential economic growth rate will go up by about 0.5 percent. Some 30 million individuals are expected to enter the workforce by 2050, Wang added.

当达到工作年龄，人口抚养率将下降，潜在经济增长率将上升约0.5%，预计到2050年将有3000万人口进入劳动力市场，王培安补充道。