In China's large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, it is common for white collar workers to remain single for many years.

The Guangdong Women's Federation recently conducted an investigation on white collars' marital conditions. The investigation shows that among all white collars aged between 25 and 35, one-third, or 1.5 million people, are single. In other words, one out of every three white collars is not married.

The problem is even worse in Shenzhen. As a city of migrants, Shenzhen has many white collar workers from other provinces. A good financial condition is a prerequisite for a family there. Housing prices, telecommunication fees, and transportation fees in Shenzhen are much higher than in other countries. For a young newcomer to the city in his twenties, it might take him a couple of years or even a decade to be relatively well-off.

Busy work schedule, little free time and a limited number of friends are the three main reasons frequently mentioned by these white collars while explaining their marriage difficulty.

Many people are concerned with white collars' marriage problem. These include their parents, their work unit, and the Shenzhen Women's Federation. Since last summer, a "marriage fair" has somewhat formed in the Lianhuashan and Zhongshan parks in Shenzhen. Taking a wooden board with them with their children's qualifications and requirements written on it, parents go to these places seeking for potential marriage partners for their children. Many companies in Shenzhen also hold parties regularly with other work units, in hopes of creating opportunities for their unmarried employees to get to know more people. The Shenzhen Women's Federation coordinates in the party organizing work.

For many white collars, a good relationship does not mean that the two can marry. Without sufficient financial resources, they would rather remain single. Mr. Wang, who works in a logistic company, has been dating his girlfriend for eight years. However, they do not plan to marry in the near future since the two still can not afford to buy a house. "For the time being, marriage is out of the question. If we want to have a family, we should have a house. Yet the housing price is too high now. We'll have to wait for some time," he said.

(China News Service July 10, 2006)