Yes, there is a shortage of women in China. A lot of Chinese men, judging by the looks I get, don't appreciate me going around with a Chinese girl. I often wonder if that has something to do with. Then again, it could be plain old racism.
Actually, the men in a Chinese marriage are supposed to defer to their women. I used to have roommates who were a couple and I asked the guy if he wanted to have a beer with me. His woman said he couldn't and he didn't drink. It was a super awkward moment and I felt terrible for him. I often wonder if that had something to do with a woman shortage or if that was cultural.
A son is preferred because a male child is a retirement plan. A daughter is expected to go and live with the man's family, and all of that money is expected to go to the same place.
Pensions, while not unheard of, are not the norm in China. The children are supposed to take care of the parents, and that's why having a son is so crucial.
Yes, I've read and heard about this---the cultural issue in China, the woman (mother) kinda rules the roost with many things. A matriarchal culture/society.
I was reading back in 2007, of the black chick, who was a makeup artist, who met a Chinese dude and she was attracted to him due to his "feminine features" (WTF, you are attracted to a man due him looking feminine), well she moved to Shanghai with him and commented about how his mother ruled over him like a mother hen over a chick (so you married a feminine looking man who has no backbone). And at the time, his mother wanted a son, no daughters---she couldn't concieve at the time. But, the dude she married, seemed like by US standards as a twink with no backbone.
Anything that will lower a man's chances with an available woman, when women are in short supply, will set a male off. Regardless of race, that can be a box that is ticked off, but imagine if you were in their position, you'd think the same.
