女性地位的上升

　　Rising power

　　然而，专家们也表示，中国日新月异的社会风俗正将这种传统淘汰出局。2007年国务院报告显示，约一半(47%)的在校大学生是女性。

　　Experts say, however, that China's changing social landscape is rendering such traditions obsolete. According to a report from the State Council in 2007, women now account for nearly half (47 percent) of all university students。

　　“很明显，女性在中国社会中的地位正在提升，”华南师范大学高等教育学院院长张敏强说。

　　"Obviously, women are becoming a stronger power in Chinese society," said Zhang Minqiang, director of the Advanced Education Institute at South China Normal University。

　　作为独生子女，她们从小就时刻准备着担负起相关的责任。张敏强还说，激烈的竞争和快节奏的现代生活更加深了这种观念。然而，也正是这种独立的观念可能使某些男性望而却步。

　　As the only child in their house, they've been preparing to shoulder responsibilities since childhood. The fierce competition and rapid pace of modern life strengthens this mindset, said Zhang. Yet it's precisely this more independent mindset that could be scaring some men away。

　　“在她们眼中，男人找老婆的前提是要有房有车。但问题是如果这些我都有了，为什么不去找一个更年轻的(女人)呢？”29岁的深圳商人司徒紫衣说。“而且，如果我和一个比我还成功的女性约会，其他人会用一种奇怪的眼光看我。”

　　"In their mind, men must have an apartment and a car before looking for a wife. But if I've already got those, why shouldn't I choose a younger woman?" said Situ Ziyi, a 29-year-old businessman in Shenzhen. "And if I date a woman who is more successful than me, others might look at me in a strange way."

　　永不妥协

　　No compromise

　　虽然她们的婚姻前景并不明朗，剩女们仍坚守她们的原则：她们不愿降低标准。

　　Even though their marriage prospects look gloomy, shengnü are sticking to their guns: They are reluctant to lower their standards。

　　上海社会科学院婚姻专家徐安琪认为，奔三和30出头的单身女性很理性，但有时过于功利。她说：“超过25岁的女性不会仅仅因为热情和冲动而结婚。她们很清楚自己想从这种关系中得到什么。”

　　Xu Anqi, a marriage expert at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, says single women in their late 20s and early 30s are "rational, but sometimes utilitarian". "Women above 25 usually don't get married out of simple passion and impulse," she said. "They know clearly what they want from the relationship."

　　王振宇认为一个超过25岁的女性决定继续保持单身并没有什么错。甚至，这很可能是“中国社会的一个新潮流”。

　　Researcher Wang Zhenyu believes there's nothing wrong if a woman over 25 decides to remain single. Or rather, it's "a new trend in Chinese society"。

　　她说，女性有追求幸福和决定生活方式的权利，不要再受传统婚姻观念的束缚。

　　Women should feel free to pursue happiness and live as they choose, instead of being confined by traditional marriage values, she said。

　　她还补充说：“中国社会正在试着尊重她们的个人决定，整个社会也会变得更加宽容。”

　　"Chinese society is learning to respect their individual choices and become more tolerant," she added。