Independent young women put their faith in bricks and mortar

Single females are ignoring tradition and buying homes of their own. Yao Yuxin reports.

Prospective bridegrooms in China used to complain that their potential mothers-in-law were the biggest drivers of rising residential property prices, because they insisted that their daughter's suitor should purchase an apartment before marriage.

Traditionally, ownership of a house or apartment is believed to guarantee a happy marriage, and the groom has to bear the responsibility of buying one.

However, mothers-in-law are now shedding that reputation, because a departure from tradition has seen a growing number of single women buying apartments for personal use, often with the financial support of their families, but sometimes on their own.

After reviewing about 68,000 transactions in 12 first-and second-tier cities last year, Ke.com, a property listings website, found that about 47 percent of buyers on its platform ages 30 to 50 were women.

Song Yueping, a researcher at Renmin University of China's National Academy of Development and Strategy, doubts that is the whole picture, though, as there is still a wide gap between the number of male and female buyers, based on statistics from 2010 to 2016.

However, she conceded that more single women age 30 and older have been buying properties than their male counterparts. In 2016, 22.8 percent of single females age 30 and older bought homes, compared with 19.6 percent of single males in the same age group.

Li Yinhe, a sociologist and sexologist in Beijing, said the trend indicates that women with higher levels of education and income are becoming increasingly independent of men and marriage.

"Women now realize they have no need to marry to own a home and enjoy a good lifestyle, and it is better to rely on themselves," she said. "This has greatly challenged traditional customs and gender roles."

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 1990 the average age of first marriage for Chinese women was 21.7 years, but by 2017, it was 25.7, and rising divorce rates have coincided with a decline in marriage rates.

It seems a growing number of women now consider marriage an option, rather than a necessity.

Li said a new interpretation of China's marriage law last year has prompted more single women to take action, because wives will not receive a share of any property bought by their husband before they married.

Luo Huilan, a professor of women's studies at China Women's University, said, "In the face of so many uncertainties, buying real estate can help ease anxiety and improve women's abilities to withstand future risks."

Before 2016, when the national family planning policy was amended to allow every couple to have two children, it was possible for single female buyers who were an only child to receive financial support from their parents, with rising household incomes serving as the base for the flourishing property market, she added.

So, why are a growing number of women buying homes before marriage? We spoke with three women to find out.

Tang Yusen

27, civil servant in Chongqing

Tang Yusen never thought her parents would treat her differently to her younger brother until she asked for some money to buy a home in 2016, when she had settled into a civil service job in her hometown, two years after college graduation.

In 2010, she started attending a first-tier university in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. She was so industrious that in addition to her chemistry major, she studied law at weekends to gain a second bachelor's degree.

"My mom told me there would be no financial support for me as a girl, but she fully backed the idea that if I bought an apartment it could be sold to my brother at a lower price when I married," she said. "I was shocked."

Tang's sister is fresh out of college, while her brother is in the third year of middle school.

She said she had always thought her parents, who own an agritourism business and earn a good income, would give their three children equal treatment.

Tang didn't decide to buy an apartment until her mother pushed her to save for a dowry after she complained that her salary wouldn't be enough to buy a home.

"Suddenly, I realized I only had myself to rely on," she said.

Tang had always wanted a home of her own, with a cloakroom, study and a movie projector. She said the lack of a sense of security prompted her to accept her first job, an unhappy experience as a math teacher, and that she wanted an apartment of her own as support.

However, no one was on her side. Even the night before she made the down payment, her boyfriend tried to dissuade her from buying her own home. He could not understand why she was so committed when he already had an apartment for them to live in after marriage.

"If there is a quarrel or even a divorce, you will find yourself with nowhere to go," Tang told herself. "Would you like to end up sleeping on the street?"

She was so determined that she threatened to break up with her boyfriend if he continued to raise objections. Now, they fully understand each other, and got married earlier this year.

With several thousand yuan in her bank account, Tang borrowed the down payment of about 60,000 yuan ($8,740) from a bank and a friend, and her father donated 10,000 yuan.

Given her mortgage and living expenses, Tang had little money for makeup or clothes in the early years after she bought her home.

"But I had never before experienced such a strong sense of belonging and security," she said.

She blames her insecurity on the rural environment she grew up in, as city people are born with property they will inherit from their parents or even grandparents.

Tang said having her own apartment means she will never have to live with her parents-in-law, something that is quite common among Chinese families.

"The conflict between daughters and mothers-in-law has lasted for thousands of years. I have no confidence of escaping it," she said. "The best way is to keep a distance."

She rejects the popular view, including from some women around her, that it is shameful for a woman to buy a home, as it indicates that no man wants her as a wife. Instead, if she has a daughter, she will definitely buy her a home.

"I hope my daughter could enjoy the freedom to pursue her dreams without worrying about having no support behind her," she said.

Xi Peiran

25, interior designer in Shenzhen, Guangdong province

Although she is not currently in a relationship, Xi Peiran has already prepared for the worst in marriage - when everything collapses and people battle for custody of the children.

Her remedy was to buy her own home.

Courts in China are inclined to grant custody rights to fathers, as they usually have better incomes and own the family home, so they can offer better support for the children. Women are usually at a disadvantage, as they tend to sacrifice their career and income to take care of the family.

"I won't lose custody of my kids because I don't have an apartment," Xi said, "I don't want to find myself left with nothing - neither home nor children. It's one of the best ways to protect oneself in that situation."

China's marriage law, which states that a wife has no right to a share of her husband's prenuptial assets, further prompted Xi to buy her own home.

The 25-year-old lives in a rented apartment she shares with her dog, three subway stops from her workplace.

The buildings are close enough for neighborly handshakes, and sunlight has no access to the balcony, let alone the rooms.

However, she has no plans to move into her own home in the next few years, despite the better living environment.

Instead, she rents it out for approximately 4,000 yuan a month, which pays her monthly rent of 1,500 yuan, and part of her monthly 7,000 yuan mortgage.

"This is the life that young people should have," Xi said.

It took two years to finalize the purchase. She had several options, so her parents traveled to Shenzhen from their home in Hubei province to help her make the final decision.

At about 40 square meters, with a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom, the apartment is worth 2 million yuan. The family made a down payment of 800,000 yuan, and Xi could have bought a bigger apartment for the same price, but the location - a 15-minute walk from the subway and with a good school nearby - matters more to her.

When she told her parents she wanted to buy a home in Shenzhen, they immediately said no, because property prices were too high for the average household to afford. Traditional values also stood in the way.

"They thought it was silly for a woman to give herself this extra burden, which should be shouldered by her husband and his family," Xi said.

She refused to give up. She convinced her parents that real estate was a good investment, and that the apartment would allow them to move to the south when they retired.

Xi rejects the notion that she should depend on a husband, saying she will refuse any financial support related to the apartment from her future partner to avoid property disputes if they divorce.

The 30-year mortgage means Xi doesn't feel free to change her job, and she is on a tight schedule to improve her income. Still, she doesn't feel that buying the apartment has restricted her, because she can move anywhere and still benefit from ownership of the apartment.

"I can rent it out or sell it for a villa in my hometown one day if I want to settle down at home," she said.

Liu Hui

30, translator in a bank in Beijing

Liu Hui had no plans to buy a home in Beijing until last year, when her landlord suddenly asked her to move out so he could sell the apartment she had lived in for three years.

She was happy in the apartment, and it was about 10 kilometers from the bank in the Central Business District where she works as a translator.

In response to Beijing's high property prices, and to avoid sacrificing her quality of life for a home, Liu rented an apartment after graduating from college in 2012.

She moved seven times in six years before she found an apartment she felt comfortable in.

"I am not the kind of person who will devote their whole life to a home or set it as a life goal," she said. "The apartment should work for me, not against me."

That's why she planned to buy a home only when it wouldn't undermine her quality of life.

However, her landlord's request prompted Liu to purchase a small apartment in the capital, as rising rents were catching up with mortgage payments. Her monthly rent had climbed to more than 5,000 yuan, compared with a monthly mortgage repayment of 5,800 yuan for her new home.

The Beijing hukou (household registration) that grants her permanent residence in the capital, and her stable income, also boosted her confidence in buying a property in the city.

In September, with financial support from her family, Liu bought a 40-sq-m apartment worth 2.6 million yuan in Chaoyang district. She now cycles 4 km to work.

Liu said her mortgage does bring some pressures, and she has reduced her spending on leisure and travel. For example, she now spends more spare time reading at home, where she feels at ease as the French windows provide plenty of light.

However, she conceded that buying the apartment had made her more insecure because the debt made her feel there were more uncertainties in her life.

"A sense of security shouldn't be tied up with a mixture of steel and concrete. It should come from within," she said.

Liu added that the stress of having a mortgage has motivated her to work harder to earn more and pay off the debt as quickly as possible. It has also given her a better perspective on the need to save.

Marriage has never been a necessity for Liu, who is adamant that the union should be built on love, rather than the traditional view that a woman is obliged to marry and start a family before a certain age.

"So, it's of great significance to please yourself and live your life well, no matter whether there is a partner or not," she said.

If she marries, she will expect her spouse to own a home and provide her with emotional and material support, and improve her quality of life.

"Otherwise, why marry him when I can live by myself?" she said.