American Sheng Nu

I find it amusing that the "sheng nu" phenomenon is portrayed as a Chinese problem, as if American women aren't every bit as hypergamous as their Asian counterparts:

Feminists are concerned that some Chinese women in their late 20s who are doing well in their careers but are labeled �leftover women� for not having married yet, may be their own worst enemies.

While they may earn as much as their male counterparts they may still adhere to traditional beliefs that decree a man must earn more than his wife, and men generally share that belief. Either way, this attitude may limit their pool of potential mates.

�They are still living in a traditional mindset and values, even though there�s no way that those can solve their problem,� said Feng Yuan, a feminist and head of Beijing�s Anti-Domestic Violence Network, in a telephone interview. Other feminists agreed with her.

What is missing is a stronger awareness of the dynamics of gender, said Ms. Feng. �If they don�t gain gender consciousness then they can only rely on luck to solve their problem,� she said, meaning they can only hope to solve the problem if they meet a man who earns more than they do.

�Shengnu,� or �leftover woman,� a term applied to China�s well-educated, unmarried women, has long been hurtful for those labeled in that way.

"Gender consciousness" is not going to solve their problem either.  Hypergamy cannot be indoctrinated out of women, and sexual selection guarantees that it will never be bred out of women.  In fact, feminism is bound to strengthen women's natural hypergamy, because the Sheng Nu, both Chinese and American, are evolutionary dead ends.

And I encourage the androsphere to adopt the term "Sheng Nu".  Whenever meeting a woman who makes conventional noises about putting her education or her career first, don't hesitate to nod approvingly and neg her about her brave, feminist choice to embrace her Sheng Nu status.