Sheng nü

[8][9] Xu Xiaomin of The China Daily described the sheng nus as "a social force to be reckoned with" and others have argued the term should be taken as a positive to mean "successful women".

[18] China's one-child policy (Family Planning Program) and sex-selective abortions have led to a disproportionate growth in the country's gender balance.

[20][26][27] The China Daily newspaper further reported that the term originally gained popularity in the city of Shanghai and later grew to nationwide prominence.

[9] In 2007, the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China released an official statement defining sheng nu as any "unmarried women over the age of 27" and added it to the national lexicon.

"[1] Originally at least 15 articles were available on its website relating to the subject of sheng nu, which have now been subsequently removed, that included matchmaking advice and tips.

[1] The National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (NBS) and state census figures reported approximately 1 in 5 women between the ages of 25-29 remain unmarried.

[6] Under the context of the one-child policy, gender selective abortion caused the male population in China to exceed that of women; more than 10% of men over 50 will choose not to enter into marriage in 2044.

[20] China, and many other Asian countries, share a long history of conservative and patriarchal view of marriage and the family structure including marrying at a young age and hypergamy.

Besides, people consider "Shengnu" as setting the bar high for their future partner but lacking in the virtues required as a tradition in the old times.

[30] Chinese Academy of Social Sciences professor Li states that this shows an increase in the types of relationships amongst new generations in China.

[6] The Chinese media has capitalized on the subject matter with television shows, viral videos, newspapers and magazine articles, and pundits that have sharply criticized women for "waiting it out for a man with a bigger house or fancier car".

[38] This series and You Are the One (MediaCorp Channel 8) have been accredited with minting terms like "the shengnu economy" and further bringing the subject into public fascination and obsession.

[6] If You Are the One (Jiangsu Satellite Television) is a popular Chinese game show, loosely based on Taken Out, whose rise has been credited with the "national obsession" surrounding sheng nu.

Hong Kong author Amy Cheung's bestselling novel Hummingbirds Fly Backwards (三个A Cup的女人) depicts the anxieties of three unmarried women on the verge of turning 30.

[10][22] He Feng in The China Daily points out, "the sheng nu phenomenon is nothing like the feminist movement in the West, in which women consciously demanded equal rights in jobs and strived for independence.

"[3] Rather, the change has been "subtle" and that "perhaps decades later, will be viewed as symbolic of China's social progress and a turning point for the role of women in its society.

"[3] In an article by the South China Morning Post, it concludes, "with mounting pressure and dwindling hopes of fulfilling both career and personal ambitions at home, for women such as Xu the urge to pack up and leave only grows stronger with time.

[51] Xu Youzhe the CEO of one of China's most popular gaming companies, Duoyi Network, mentioned "If a woman in her lifetime has fewer than two children, no matter how hard she works, she is destined to be unhappy".

The Chinese State newspaper Xinhua shamed Tsai Ing-Wen by commenting, "As a single female politician, she lacks the emotional drag of love, the pull of the 'home,’ and no children to care for.

[56] Sandra Bao is a co-founder and a fashion magazine editor who formed a social group known as "Leftover Attitude" in Shanghai as a way to support unmarried professional women.

In fact, unlike the social image imposed on "Shengnu", most unmarried females living in urban areas do not value wealth as the sole criterion when they search for their other half, even though they will not completely ignore that.

[58] According to the South China Morning Post, Gender discrimination is deeply ingrained in Chinese society, which, for centuries, was dominated by Confucianism which places women as inferior to men.

[62] Comparisons have been made to a 1986 Newsweek cover and featured article that said "women who weren't married by 40 had a better chance of being killed by a terrorist than of finding a husband".

[66] The popular American reality television series The Bachelorette capitalizes on matchmaking often successful businesswomen in their mid to late twenties with other eligible bachelors.

[5] A similar feature in the People's Daily focused on the reception of the concept of sheng nu from netizens outside of China, particularly in Asia, specifically Korea, Japan, and India.

[73] Another contributor wrote, similarly "a class of highly educated, independent age 27+ women who choose to live a more liberated life and put their talent/skill to good use in society" is happening in India.

[20] Cai cites studies that show that women are now breaking the tradition of "mandatory marriage" to have fewer children or marry later on in life.

[20] Other typologically similar terms that are still used in the modern lexicon of other countries and cultures show the concept has existed in some cases as far back as the 16th century.

[77] It wasn't until 2004 when the Civil Partnership Act replaced the word spinster with "single" in the relationship history section of marriage certificates in the UK.

Catherinette was a traditional French label for women 25 years old or older who were still unmarried by the Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria on 25 November.