MCLC: rejecting the 'leftover women' label

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: rejecting the 'leftover women' label
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Source: NYT (4/23/13):
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/world/asia/24iht-letter24.html

THE FEMALE FACTOR
Rejecting the 'Leftover Women' Label
By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOWPublished: April 23, 2013

BEIJING — For years, single Chinese women in their mid- to late-20s have
endured being called “shengnu,” or “leftover women,” by relatives, by the
state-run media and by society. The message is : Marry, ideally by 25, or
you’re on the shelf.

Some are starting to push back.

“I don’t accept that definition,” said Li Yue, 34, who works at a
nongovernmental organization in Beijing. “It’s really ridiculous. Who says
I’m leftover, and by whom? I don’t feel I’m leftover, I feel I’m living
the life I want.”

“It’s really annoying,” said Wang Man, 31, an employee of a poverty relief
N.G.O. in Beijing. “By now though, I don’t care, as I think there’s a plot
behind it. It’s an admonishment to women, it’s telling us what to do,
where and when. Everyone is trying to get us to sacrifice ourselves, to
look after children, husbands, old people.”

China has about 20 million more men under 30 years of age than women,
according to official news reports — largely the result of gender
selective abortion, with many parents preferring a son to a daughter. So
why is the phenomenon of “leftover women” apparently so widespread? Aren’t
desperate men snapping up available women?

Not exactly. Traditional attitudes demand that a man earn more than a
woman, meaning that as women earn increasingly more they are pricing
themselves out of the marriage market.

But as a result, partly, of the increasingly defiant attitudes of women
like Ms. Liu and Ms. Wang toward a term that many still find terribly
hurtful, a riposte to “leftover women” has been born — and it’s a clever
one. Yes, they’re saying, we’re “shengnu.” But that’s “sheng” as in
“victorious,” not “leftover.”

The pun that turns the tables on the prejudicial description is made
possible by the fact that “sheng” has different meanings in Chinese
depending on the written character: either “leftover” or “victorious” (or
“successful,” as some prefer). Chinese is filled with homonyms, making
punning a popular pastime.

The redefining of shengnu has been abetted by a television series, started
last July, that translates as “The Price of Being a Victorious Woman.”
It’s an exploration of the romantic life and career of the fictitious,
unmarried Lin Xiaojie, played by the Taiwanese actress Chen Qiao En. In
the series, the quirky, pretty Ms. Lin has troubled romantic encounters
with attractive men. But along the way she builds a successful career.

While some consider the series overly sappy, it has had the effect of
spreading the concept of “victorious women” as a morale-boosting
alternative to “leftover women,” and delivering unmarried Chinese women
more self-respect.

“In the series, the perfect metamorphosis of Lin Xiaojie from a ‘leftover
woman’ to a ‘victorious woman’ shows you that in the working world too,
it’s better to be strong and in charge of your destiny than to let other
people control your future,” runs a summary of the series on the Web site
of iQiyi.com <http://iqiyi.com/>, a major Chinese film and TV portal. It
offers 10 pieces of practical advice to young women, including: Don’t be
bad but don’t be too good, either. Learn not to be influenced by your
colleagues. Don’t fall in love with your boss.

Even the state-run media, which have long issued lugubrious warnings to
young women on the perils of becoming a “leftover woman,” are — slowly —
joining in.

The official microblog site of People’s Daily recently displayed a post
suggesting that “leftover women” needn’t despair.

“Leftover women, don’t be tragic,” it said. “There are 20 million more men
under 30 than women in China. So how can there be so many ‘leftover
women?”’ It provided a common explanation: “Isn’t it because they’re not
‘leftover’ but ‘victorious’, and their requirements for partners are very
high?”

But it continued, in a less judgmental vein: “They’re free, and can stand
on their own feet. As China modernizes fast, ‘leftover women’ may turn
into a positive term.”

It’s better to be “victorious” than “leftover,” said Ms. Liu, the N.G.O.
worker. But overall, she’d rather not have to choose.

“I think it’s a very positive word,” she said. “But it’s also kind of odd
because I never thought of this as a victory or some kind of a struggle.”

“We should have the right to choose what we want to do. So do we really
need such a power-filled word as ‘victorious’ to describe something so
normal?”

Ms. Wang agreed. “I’ve heard of it and I think it’s O.K., but I don’t
think it’s a question of victory or defeat,” she said. “It’s just a way of
life. If I had to choose, though, I’d tend toward ‘victorious’ for sure.
Still, it all feels a bit tiring.”

Meanwhile, there are still many over-25-year-olds, fretting under strong
societal pressure to marry, who have internalized the cultural and social
values that they are “on the shelf.” China’s minimum marriage age for
women is 20, so the window of opportunity for those who want to escape
labeling is small.

For them, “shengnu,” with its double meaning, is, at best, neutral.

“I’m not completely proud of it,” said Zhou Wen, 27 and unmarried, a
secretary at an American marketing company in Beijing, “but it is at least
a neutral word. Not bad at all.”