Leftovers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21320560


My friend sent me this article about how unmarried women in China over the age of 27 are called ‘leftover women’. This article made me so upset on so many levels.

1) To call a woman leftover is objectifying and belittling. It’s as if they are a meal no one wanted to consume in its entirety so you get to bring it home. They are the doggie bag of humanity.

2) These women are smart, ambitious and yet it’s not enough. They have careers and are educated and they are propelling the economy forward. However they are nothing unless they are married. Let’s praise their hard work, intelligence and make sure they continue to be pillars of society. How about that instead of making them feel like they are lacking?

3) Maybe they aren’t married because there aren’t enough quality men out there. Couldn’t that be the real problem? And yet there is no article about how so many men are lazy, unambitious freeloaders or the like? How come no one pushes them to get an education and get into the workforce and contribute to society? Ugh!

4) How come there aren’t articles like this about unmarried men over 27? There’s obviously no article on why there aren’t any quality men out there because that might be harder to write. But how about an article on why men over 27 aren’t married? How come there isn’t any focus on that?

5) Why is it so important to be married anyway? This article is basically saying that these women are not fully developed human beings because they aren’t married. Last time I looked, you had to be an actual person with a mind and a heart before you could even be interesting enough to get married. I just don’t get the priorities of society and it’s very obvious that this is my problem when I read articles like this.