ABSTRACT
Although its exact origins are unknown, the term “leftover women” was adopted in 2007 as a new Chinese word of the year by the Ministry of Education of China; since then it has become a popular part of the Chinese vernacular. The term is defined as women who could be married but are not, are typically 27 years old or older, generally well educated, earn a high income, and have relatively high standards when it comes to choosing a spouse. Originally used to refer to those born in the 1970s, the word is now used to refer to those born in the 1980s as well. In the focus groups we facilitated for this book, most people did not feel that the term “leftover women” was offensive.
