re: #175 Justanotherhuman

If you’re not married by 30 these days, you’re not worthy, you’ve already been “spoiled” by education and a decent job.

This is the prevailing attitude n most parts of China. I have former students whose parents fret if they don’t have boyfriends, and whose parents will arrange marriages if their daughters don’t have someone suitable. College graduates are discouraged from pursuing master’s degrees, or Ph.D.’s, because families figure the girl will be be close to 30 by the time her education finishes, and likely still single. She’ll be a “leftover” woman.

Combined with this attitude is the tradition for women to “marry up” and men to “marry down.” That is, a woman shouldn’t marry a man with a lower education or income than she has, and a man shouldn’t marry a woman with a greater education or income than he has. That’s the main reason why well educated and/or professionally successful women in China have trouble finding suitable mates.

Traditions die hard, even in communist China or in modern America.