Commentary: ‘I almost lost my will to live’ – preference for sons leaves women in China exploited and abused

Ode To Joy ( 2016 ), All Is Well( 2019 ), and I Will Find You A Better Home( 2017 ), three well-liked Chinese television shows in recent years, have brought back attention to the family discrimination and mistreatment that many female children still experience in modern Chinese society.

Many of these people have discussed their circumstances on social media. In my most recent research, I looked at a few of the thousands of articles and video clips on Chinese websites like Zhihu( a Q & amp, A forum ) and Bilibili, which are all about son preference. My research demonstrates how challenging it is for people to end this abusive relationship, even after they reach adulthood.

I nearly lost my will to survive.

Daughters are molded from beginning to realize that they are worthless recipients of household resources and are indebted to their household for being born in families with robust son preferences. This causes them to feel extremely insecure and low in self-esteem and creates a lifelong obligation to pay back their” debt” by supporting the family.

A senior high school scholar made a remark about how expectations that she provide financial support for her family are shaping her life. She now feels worthless, unloved, and even suicidal as a result of this: & nbsp,” My mother has been very honest with me and keeps reminding me that, I bring you up for old age security, you should give me how much in the next month and you ought to provide for your younger brother and help financially with his studies.” Despite my constant desire to be loved, I have not felt loved. I wanted to jump off stairways to commit suicide so that I could eventually be happy because I am uncomfortable and have a very low sense of self-worth.

Another article emphasized how cruel and degrading comments can instill a preference for sons in even younger girls:” Andnbsp, when my auntie was expectant and I was still young, my uncle told me that I may pray it’s going to be little brother because only then will we get to eat chicken drumsticks.” We’ll just take chicken poop if it’s a girlfriend.

One lady talked about how desperate she felt about having to pay for her mother’s monthly living expenses. She claimed that she even gave her mother the hongbao, a financial product she had received from her partner, during the Chinese New Year.

” In the first few months after starting my first job, they pestered me so relentlessly for income that I nearly lost my will to live.” Despite the fact that I currently have a partner, I am ready to end our relationship at any time. I was curious as to why they didn’t simply kill me to dying despite the fact that they were aware of my gender.