YOUNG PRETTY WOMEN = PROFESSIONAL MISTRESSES

 | YAN BALCZEWSKI

 

蝸居裡的情婦

Even though the so – called gender equality has been advocated in China for many years, it has never been actually accepted in the society.  Instead Chinese females have been facing less and less growth opportunities in career and life.  For those young women who dream to be successful or wealthy or both before they reach to their middle age (around 40 according to Chinese standards), they, especially those pretty ones, choose to adhere to those already successful older men by being their mistresses.

In nowadays, mistress is one of the luxurious accessories for a successful Chinese man or even a social status.  Not all men can afford to maintain a mistress since her goal is to obtain money thus she is undoubtedly very expensive!

The emerging of mistress showed significant transform of a society from previous rigid format, however, this “commercialization” degrades the dignity of Chinese women and makes them worthless.  The entrepreneurs in China take their mistresses in a lot of public activities without any hesitation, their wives know the situation but choose to be silent as long they can also get enough money from their husband to enjoy their life styles.

The corruption among those officers of Chinese government is mostly associated with mistress, a research result showed that around 95% of the officers who have been investigated have extramarital affairs, ironically 60% of troubled officers were actually brought to light by their mistresses simply because they failed to satisfy the desires (mostly for money) of their mistresses.

Mistress is not just limited in China, it can be around the world.  We might still remember the affair inside the Oval Office years ago.  The only distinct characteristics for the mistresses in China is that they can show off their status – since what they are doing has become their professional.  Meanwhile a man with mistress (or mistresses) is accepted or even respected by others.

Is this phenomenon continuing the old tradition in China – polygamy?

Some people who work for those successful entrepreneurs or high officers in the government are happily helping their bosses to seek for pretty women – the candidates of their bosses’ mistresses.  The requirements for female employees in some organizations include the measurement of chest, waist and hip plus nice facial features – just as beauty pageants.  Those isolated “villages” where the mistresses share with their masters are much more expensive compared with the home of ordinary Chinese, the residents there (mistresses) are often envied by the people around.   The entire society has turned to be that people prefer contemn the poor to prostitute (笑貧不笑娼）。

While the average income of Chinese is growing, the gap of income between female and male is becoming wider, from 78% at the beginning of 1990 to current 67%.  This trend promotes even more young female looking for the shortcut to be rich – turning to mistresses of rich men.

Accompanied by the appearance of professional mistresses, a marriage in young generation also includes the monetary exchange between a man and a woman, – a man has to own a house or / and have a certain amount of money in order to marry a woman.  This sketches a scenario that the most valuable asset for a woman is her body, for a man his wallet.  Under this circumstance a woman is gradually losing her social status and independence, the only thing she might accomplish in her life is to become a man’s accessory.