Hey There Lonely Boy

China is facing a crisis -- not enough women. The country's major gender imbalance means that in the very near future there will be a shortage of wives which means a real threat to social stability. I don’t know why this story had me a bit giddy. I guess that’s my angry feminist side sticking up my middle finger and yelling out “That’s what you get when you choose to abort all your baby girls! Now suck it!” Ok, maybe it’s not all their fault, seeing as how the government only allows families one child, and seeing as how most traditional cultures value male heirs (god knows why) over females. But still, I feel somewhat justified. Maybe that'll learn ya.

China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women in less than 15 years as a gender imbalance resulting from the country’s tough one-child policy becomes more pronounced, state media reported Friday.

The tens of millions of men who will not be able to find a wife could also lead to social instability problems, the China Daily said in a front-page report.

China imposed strict population controls in the 1970s to limit growth of its huge population, but one side effect has been a jump in gender selection of babies. Traditional preferences for a son mean some women abort their baby if an early term sonogram shows it is a girl.

Discrimination against the female sex remains the primary cause of China’s growing gender imbalance,” Liu Bohong, vice director of the women studies institute under the All-China Women’s Federation, was quoted as saying in a report from the State Population and Family Planning Commission.

Sex selective abortion is prohibited but the government says the practice remains widespread, especially in rural areas…

UPDATE 1/22/06

China sounded the alarm over the country's growing gender imbalance on Monday, vowing to improve protection of infant girls and ratchet up punishment for those who perform abortions based on the sex of the baby...

Abortions to select a child's gender are not currently outlawed. However, a family planning regulation prohibits the practice except for medical reasons. People who perform illegal scans or abortions face a minimum fine of 10,000 yuan ($1,255) or more based on their earnings from the procedure.