Changed Dating Trends Among Chinese Youth Amid Unemployment
Creating Expense Lists "How Much Must I Earn"
Also Questioning "How Much Is Your Parents' Pension"
Increasing Breakups Due to Conflicts and Marriage Rates Halved
The "dating standards" of Chinese youth, who are struggling with employment difficulties and an economic downturn, are changing. Some send their expenditure details to their partners 10 years after marriage, while others ask about "parental pensions" as a condition for a good partner.
On the 19th (local time), Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) highlighted a recent story of a couple that went viral online in China. The couple met through a dating application (app), and after confirming each other's conditions, they enjoyed a pleasant date.
The problem arose that evening. The woman sent a long Word file titled "Family's Daily Expense List" after returning home. The file detailed future expenses such as utilities, groceries, transportation, social activities, clothing, and tools.
The woman claimed that after totaling this checklist, the couple would need to earn at least 9,900 yuan (approximately 1.83 million KRW) per month to maintain a household together. Additionally, medical expenses for parents and child-rearing costs, if they had children, would be incurred separately.
The man who shared the story said, "She told me I needed to double my current annual salary to 200,000 yuan (37 million KRW)" and "She said there were many financial challenges we needed to solve to live together." Lacking confidence in meeting all the conditions set by the woman, the man ultimately decided to end the relationship.
Such stories are reportedly not uncommon in China. Recently, many have been setting "parents' retirement pensions" as a condition for dating or marriage partners.
In fact, on Weibo, China's largest social networking service (SNS), the phrase "parental pension has become a hurdle in blind dates" became a popular search term. It refers to the idea that since parents receive pensions, there is no obligation to support them, and the higher the pension amount, the more "attractive" one is in blind dating.
The post received a total of 50.43 million views. Local netizens responded with comments such as, "Imagine having to send part of your living expenses to support your parents every month. How can you live like that?" "It's a very realistic condition," and "To get married in this country, your parents need to be well-off first."
The background behind Chinese youth becoming so money-conscious even in dating issues lies in the severe unemployment rate. The youth unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 in China reached a record high of 21.3% in June last year. Afterward, the National Bureau of Statistics of China temporarily suspended the release of this indicator and revised the calculation criteria in January, announcing it again at 14.9%. However, there has been much criticism locally regarding the reliability of this figure.
Meanwhile, China's low birthrate problem is worsening. According to data released on the 15th by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (equivalent to the Ministry of the Interior), the number of marriages in China in the fourth quarter of last year was 7.68 million.
Although this is a 12.4% increase compared to the previous year, the dominant analysis is that it reflects postponed marriages due to COVID-19. The number of marriages in China has been declining over the past decade. During the same period, the number of marriages dropped from 13.469 million to 6.835 million, nearly halving.
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