Watch these Chinese Women Rise Above Intense Marriage Shaming and Pressures to Deliver an Inspiring Message

Women all over the world face tremendous pressure to get married, and one cannot help but wonder how that ideology came to be.

Marriage takes two people to become possible and that means no one should be pressured into getting married. For one, those at the forefront of comments like “you are no longer a child”, “look at your mates”, “show the world that you are a woman” will not even be in the marriage! Secondly, adults should be left to make their own choices; and it is called “minding your business” to allow them decide when to get married. Moreover nobody can marry himself or herself.

In the world, Chinese women face the most pressure to get married. As a matter of fact, a Chinese unmarried lady in her late twenties is called a “Sheng nu” which means “leftover woman”. The men are not left out too! The male equivalent is “Guang gun” which means “bare branch”, that is, he is unable to grow the family tree.

This short documentary details the burdens placed on unmarried women who are over 25. It captures the struggles, stress, pains, and challenges faced by women, especially from their parents. For example, a mother said of her daughter “She’s just average looking. Not too pretty.” all because she’s not married. One father said “If she really can’t find the one, it’ll be a heart disease for me.”

In many Chinese cities, there are “Marriage Markets” where parents go to post the profiles of their sons and daughters, an act one of the women described as “selling your daughter”. “I yearn for love. I want real love” said another woman; “maybe I should give up on someone I love for someone suitable” another woman said in tears.

The women finally decided to attend the “Marriage Market” themselves to deliver the inspiring message to their parents that marriage should not define their peace, balance, and happiness. “I don’t want to get married just for the sake of marriage. I won’t live happy that way” one said.

Watch the video here: