When Wang Mei’s husband first hit her in their Shanghai home, Wang (a pseudonym) instantly acted to protect herself and her newborn baby by calling 110, China’s number for emergency help. That call unleashed a torrent of retaliatory violence and harassment, not just from Wang’s husband but from his extended family as well. Two years […]
Author: Leta Hong Fincher
Leta Hong Fincher is the author of a forthcoming book on "leftover" women and gender inequality in China, published by Zed Books. She is also a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Tsinghua University in Beijing and an award-winning, former journalist. She has a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. Follow her on Twitter @letahong.
China’s “Leftover” Women
Last week, 26-year-old newlywed college graduate Li Fang (a pseudonym) explained to me over dinner why she had been in such a rush to marry: If I hadn’t gotten married now, I would still have to date for at least one or two years. Then I would already have passed the best child-bearing age and […]