Worldview 3.29.12

Worldview 3.29.12
In the absence of women, Chinese men in Gao Po are taking on traditionally female roles such as cooking and caregiving. Courtesy of Deborah Jian Lee, Sushma Subramanian
Worldview 3.29.12
In the absence of women, Chinese men in Gao Po are taking on traditionally female roles such as cooking and caregiving. Courtesy of Deborah Jian Lee, Sushma Subramanian

Worldview 3.29.12

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In China, marriage-aged men outnumber women by the millions. Experts predict that by 2020, the number of men unable to find wives will reach the population of Texas. Deborah Jian Lee and Sushma Subramanian recently visited a bachelor village where men face the prospect of eternal bachelorhood. They tell Worldview what it was like to witness China’s gender imbalance up-close. Also, reporter Russell Johnson followed a truck full of party-goers near Lake Erhai, in Yunnan Province, China, and ended up being invited to a traditional Bai wedding. And, China has the world’s highest rate of C-section births. Nearly half of all Chinese women deliver their babies by cesarean — and often not for medical reasons. Mara Hvistendahl, Shanghai-based correspondent for Science magazine tells Worldview what’s behind the cultural shift away from natural childbirth.