Staying single is not good for demographics

Although it may be gaining acceptance, trend will have a negative impact on the birth rate and sustainable social development

The challenges and potential business opportunities that China's "single population" of nearly 200 million has given rise to have been making headlines for some time now.

These singles are those who are not married despite reaching the legal marriageable age, and those who are divorced or widowed.

According to China's population and employment statistical yearbook for 2015, the total single population older than 20 - people who are unable to get married as well as those who choose to remain single - was about 140 million in 2014. According to a survey in 2015, more than 58 million people in China live alone, while the number of people between 20 and 39 who live alone is 20 million.

The rising single population has something to do with the unbalanced gender ratio, especially among people of marriageable age. China's population and employment statistical yearbook for 2014 said that of the total single population, males accounted for 69.1 percent in the 35-to-39 age group, and the male-female gender ratio in the 20-to-24 age group was 130:100. Additionally, the shortage of marriageable-age women has made it difficult for men to find a spouse, especially in poverty-stricken rural areas.

The number of men of marriageable age in China is expected to be 24 million more than that of marriageable-age women by 2020. And given the huge social pressure that single men face in rural areas, they could become the catalyst to many problems, such as sex crimes and trafficking of women, which in turn could undermine social stability and harmony.

The rising single population also has something to do with current social values. Thanks to fast-paced economic development and changing cultural norms, it is possible for single men or women to lead a relatively comfortable life, not least because they don't consider marriage and family as necessary. In other words, on the one hand, the rising number of single men in China's rural areas is a social problem, on the other, staying single has already become a global trend.

According to Going Solo by Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University, in 1950 only 22 percent of the total population of the United States was single, while the percentage today is more than 50. At present, 31 million people of marriageable age, or one-seventh of the total US adult population, live alone.

Being single is popular among people in Western countries. In Stockholm, Sweden, for example, the proportion of people living alone is as high as 60 percent. In Japan, about 40 percent of the single people don't like the company of others. And in France, 55.8 percent of children were born out of wedlock in 2012. Even in contemporary China, many among the new generation don't consider marriage necessary.

Unlike men, China's single women are concentrated mainly in large cities, and a huge number of them are highly educated, have high incomes and enjoy high social status. Such women are single because of their high requirements for their would-be spouse, such as sharing work and being treated as equals. However, since husbands traditionally are supposed to be "superior" to their wives in terms of education, income and social status, it is difficult for highly qualified and successful women to find a suitable spouse, not only because there are few such men, but also because many Chinese men prefer to have a wife who is "not better than" them.

Moreover, some women voluntarily choose to be single, because they don't want marriage and family to prevent them from leading a life of their liking. The advantage of being single is being free and relaxed, and its disadvantage is not being able to enjoy a family life and share concerns.

Staying single may be gaining acceptance among some people in China, but it will have a negative impact on the birth rate and sustainable social development, and therefore should not be encouraged.

The author is a professor at the Population Research Institute of Peking University. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/08/2017 page13)