Marriage Market In China

 

The ideology of marriage has different understanding to different people. It is very important in every society, and to uphold any culture.

But people get married for different reasons and finding the right partner is not always an easy task. This is a major issue all over the world “finding the right partner”. This is the reasons why “Marriage Markets” were invented in China.

This is just like any other market that you go to buy different products that are being advertised by the sellers. But instead of essential commodities that are needed for our day to day lives, the products in these markets, are unmarried young men and women.

Weekends are not just normal weekends as usual for Chinese people, because in places such as the People’s Park which is located in Shanghai and so many other parks and public places in China, parents who are concerned about the marital status of their kids, or even grandparents, gather to advertise their unmarried kids, and search for a perfect match for them.

How is this done you might ask, I will tell you. The parents write everything about their child’s eligibility on a paper, their qualities, and the qualities that they seek in the potential spouse. According to a survey, the qualities that are required in these markets, includes;

Age: in the marriage market, most men seek for women that are younger than their age, while the women usually seek for men that are close to their age. A survey that was conducted showed that most of the adverts are for people between the ages of 25 to 30.

Education And Employment Status: Another factor that people consider in the marriage market, is the employment status of their potential spouse. Most people would want someone that has obtained at least a BSC or even a higher educational status. Most people seek for partners with an educational level that is similar to their own, or even higher.

Ownership Of Assets: Another factor that is greatly considered, are the assets owned by their potential spouse. People often highlight their assets, because it is usually expected that a man is supposed to have a car and a house, before he should consider getting married. Those who own a house and a car, are often more desirable that those who don’t.

Astrological Sign: It is very common to see astrological signs and zodiac as part of the requirements. These parents usually tape their adverts to umbrellas, if they find a desirable spouse for their child, they usually talk with the parents and then, they may fix a blind date for their children to meet.

The idea of a marriage market began back in the year 2004, after it was announced that there was a huge gender imbalance, and also the pressure of parents wanting their children to get married. Due to the former policy that was practiced in the country from the year 1979 to 2015, there was a fall in the number of females in the country which was termed “the missing women of China”.

According to statistics, the number of males in the country, exceeds the number of females by over 30 million.

Most successful women in China don’t consider marriage as too important. Considering the fact that they have more than enough options to pick for a partner, they are not in a hurry to get married. Most women remain unmarried until their late 20’s or early 30’s.

It has been said that most parents advertise their children at the marriage market, without their consent.