The gender imbalance caused by the one-child policy in China is well known , but it is way more complicated than that. Urban couples who accepted girls as their only children poured resources into their upbringing, resulting in highly educated, globally sophisticated women who are still expected to marry up. Rural families who selectively had boys had far fewer resources while prizing traditional values like their sons staying put and marrying down to docile daughters in law. An excess of men should mean that women are sought after and prized, but these social mores mean that the urban-rural divide is exacerbated, and a generation of the world's most promising women are caught between men who don't want them and parents who nag non-stop to get them married and pregnant. Lake explores the many ramifications of this, from the Alibaba online section of Rent-a-Boyfriends for New Years visits home, the economically-driven polyamory of mistress culture, grad schools offering counseling and matchmaking to get men to accept brides of equal education and expectations, the correlation of air quality and the stridency of maternal pressure driven by neighborly gossip and online tutorials for career women to learn to go through the motions of performing the ritual pouting and whining expected of a devoted woman.

This is a very interesting and eye-opening read about the amazing women in China who have widely achieved an unprecedented level of ass-kickingly professional success. These brilliant, successful, highly educated women are almost running the country, and are propelling China forward towards a bright future.

However, traditional cultural belief in the importance of marriage and procreation are at war with modern gender roles and expectations. These capable women are expected to find and marry a man, basically just for the sake of salving ancient tradition. There achievements in education and professional capacities are seen as less important than marrying and having a child. And the only sons, 'Little Emperors,' have been so spoiled by their parents, they are apparently unable to function in an equal marriage with a successful woman. And that, many times, is seen as the fault of the woman, instead of the man. Women who postpone marriage, or even delay it, are seen as sheng nu, or Leftover Women.

This book is full of the first hand experiences of many people, so you get a good idea of how various people feel about this situation.