By contrast, attendees at the Pentecostal mega-church's recent Stronger Men's conference were treated to a monster truck, a boxing match, pyrotechnics, and a standoff between a pair of celebrity pastors.

The stark contrast between the two conferences not only showcases the dynamic and lively worship style of megachurches but also underscores the unequal treatment of men and women. Men are portrayed as fierce warriors, while women are confined to the role of embodying femininity, elegantly dressed and focused on creating a happy home for their husbands.

Mike Prince, a former youth pastor of the Assemblies of God, expressed his concern about the Stronger Men's Conference. He attended the event from 2017 to 2019, after his wife signed him up for it. She had been attending the women's conference for several years.

Prince described the conference as a circus-like atmosphere, which was designed to keep the attendees entertained. However, he believed that the event's message had been overshadowed by the spectacle. He emphasized that distracting from the message in this way was counterproductive and could work against the goal of reaching out to non-believers. He added that the spectacle ended up completely overshadowing the truth that they were trying to convey. Read more.

According to official media, there will be 30-40 million more marrying-age men than women in China by 2020. If every woman decides to marry, there will still be one in every five men who fails to find a spouse.

In a parish in Wenzhou diocese, eastern Zhejiang province, a recent event for single Catholics illustrated all too well the serious gender imbalance among Chinese under 30, reported UCANews.

The 50 men who attended found they outnumbered their counterparts by a ratio of 2:1.

"There are too many wolves but too little meat," one of the men said. "The competition is acute."

The country's one-child policy and a traditional preference for male heirs has led to gender-selective abortions and adoption, considered to be the direct cause of the gender imbalance.

Father Peter Xue Ronglei, who organised the singles event, said the gender imbalance allows young women to be less concerned about getting married, but makes it harder for young men with poor family backgrounds or financial conditions to find a wife.

Lucia Zhu, a matchmaker for over 10 years, confirmed the priest's observation. "There are now more boys than girls. The boys meet their potential partners one after another cursorily, and they still think there are many girls. Indeed, girls now become more treasured," she said.

"The choices for Catholics are even smaller," Zhu said, noting that both men and women have high expectations of their future spouse in terms of family background, physique and appearance.

One participant, Joseph, told UCANews he found a woman participant appealing but he believed he has little chance because she is more academically capable than he is.

When John, another participant at the event, was asked about his criteria for a future spouse, he said: "It will be okay for me if there is someone who likes me."

Source:

UCANews

One-child policy (Wikipedia)

Image: The Epoch Times

The China Development Research Foundation proposes allowing two children for every family in some provinces from this year and nationally by 2015, and dropping all birth limits by 2020.

The Associated Press reports that some demographers see this timeline as a bold move by an organisation close to the central leadership, while others warn that the gradual approach suggested would still be insufficient to help correct the problems created by the one-child policy.

"China has paid a huge political and social cost for the policy, as it has resulted in social conflict, high administrative costs and led indirectly to a long-term gender imbalance at birth," the foundation said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The one-child policy has been in place since 1979.

Cai Yong, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States, told the Associated Press that the report carried extra weight because the think tank was under the State Council, China's Cabinet.

He said he found it remarkable that state-backed demographers were willing to publicly propose such a detailed schedule and plan on how to get rid of China's birth limits.

"That tells us at least that policy change is inevitable, it's coming," said Cai, who was not involved in the drafting of the report but knows many of the experts who were.

Wang Feng, director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy and an expert on China's demographics, contributed research material to the foundation's report but has yet to see the full text. He said he welcomed the gist of the document that he's seen in state media.

It says the government "should return the rights of reproduction to the people", he said. "That's very bold."

Associated Press

Image: Allianz Wissen