Women and Education in China

In this opinion article, by  Leta Hong Fincher, she shows the view of unmarried women in China over the age of 27 known as "leftover women" through the use of quotes from an article found on the All-China Women's Federation's website. As this nickname suggests, these women are viewed very negatively in the Chinese society. In general, the society believe that these women hope to receive an education "in order to increase their competitiveness." They think that "pretty girls don’t need a lot of education to marry into a rich and powerful family." They believe that if you are ugly or average looking, you need an education; however, if you are young and beautiful there is no reason because you will be married off anyway. The women who are working to further their education will be less valuable and less likely to get married by the time they earn their  Ph.D or M.A. because they will be too old. The Chinese society as a whole seems to focus more on women finding a husband rather than finding an education.

It's really interesting to see the the view of women's education in another country. In the United States, education is valued for both males and females. In China, education is not seen as a necessity nor is it as valued for women as it is in America. They believe that women can just get married off if they are pretty enough. In the U.S., many times women who receive an education are seen as more valuable and intelligent. In most cases, intelligence is seen as attractive. In China, it looks like they view women's education as a last resort- like they weren't attractive enough so they needed another thing going for them. Women in the U.S. usually receive an education  for an entirely different reason. Of course there are some women in the U.S. who are hoping that college will bring them a husband rather than a degree, but the majority of American women are looking for a higher education in order to support themselves.