If your chances of finding a date were 1 in 70 million, you might decide to stay home for the night. But that figure isn't speculation for young men in China and India, due in part to policies that for decades have prompted families to strongly prefer raising sons instead of daughters.
Those two nations -- the most populous on Earth -- are facing an unprecedented crisis that will prevent millions of men from marrying or even having serious relationships with women. The fact that there are approximately 35 million more men than women in each of those countries has already brought serious consequences, from widespread depression to financial distress.
As of 2020, a majority -- 50 million -- of the men are younger than 20, and in the years to come, they will enter a much-changed workforce and have to come to terms with being alone, without families of their own. "In the future, there will be millions of men who can’t marry, and that could pose a very big risk to society," said Li Shuzhuo, a demographer at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China.
Is being married better?
- A study found that only 21 percent of single people have credit card debt, compared with 27 percent of married couples and 36 percent of couples with kids.
- On average, the age at which people get married today in the United States is 28; in 1950 the average age was 22.
- In America, the average cost of a wedding is more than $26,000 USD, while the average cost of raising a child exceeds $245,000.
