Challenging Stigma: Gender Self-Expression and Social Interactions of the Sheng Nu

Abstract

mwymwAbstract:With the gradual development of modern women’s education level, an increasing number of women have achieved high levels of achievement in education and occupation. However, due to their delayed entry into the marriage, they are defined officially as leftover women in Chinese society. The single identity of leftover women is frequently not recognized socially and portrayed as selfish in the media. Some single women choose to weaken their advantages in education and occupation under social pressure and follow the traditional gender norms to enter marriage as soon as possible. However, some women create new femininity, constructing the social identity of single women and demonstrating positive aspects of leftover women. However, the specific strategies of leftover women’s new social identity construction also remain blank. Therefore, this article will take a textual analysis of the posts and comments on the topic of leftover women on social media Xiaohongshu, exploring the strategies of leftover women groups in response to social pressure. The findings indicate that leftover women find empowerment through constructing positive lifestyles, choosing a new reproduction method, and forming their social support network and emotional dependence. In a series of strategies, they attempt to undo gender and challenge traditional gender norms to achieve the recognition of themselves.