ABSTRACT
This chapter explores participants' opinions concerning the timing of marriage and expectations of marriage, again highlighting the absence of desire or love in their responses. It discusses participant opinions on the topic of unmarried women and the stigma associated with them, including the rise of the shengnü phenomenon in popular culture. The timing of marriage was frequently linked to ideas of reproduction and the possession of qualities such as maturity and responsibility. A clear age bracket for marriage was articulated by participants, demonstrating the ways in which both marriage and childbearing are normalized to an extreme extent in Chinese culture. In fact, marriage was primarily spoken of as a form of long-term economic security. Most suggested that the stability and the legality that marriage offered were primary motivations to marry, especially when considering having a child.
