China Faces 'Dangerous' Bride Shortage

Some 24 million Chinese men of marrying age will be unable to find a bride by the end of this decade because of the country's one-child policy, according to a Chinese government report. The policy has resulted in a surge in sex-selective abortions since the '80s, especially in rural areas, as parents try to ensure that their one child is a boy.

China's leadership fears that the huge surplus of bachelors will lead to rising crime and social unrest, the Times of London reports. Officials have resisted calls to scrap the one-child policy, arguing that with 200 million people reaching child-bearing age in the next decade, abandoning the policy would put serious pressure on development.
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