Changes

In much of rural China, couples have a strong preference for male children for cultural and financial reasons. A male child will inherit the possessions of his parents, carry on the family name and any business, and work to support the parents when they are too old to support themselves. A female child, in comparison, will serve only to marry into another family, and contribute nothing to the property of her parents. Thus the demand for a male child is easily strong enough that rural families will often selectively abort baby girls before birth.  This has already caused an asymmetry between China's male population and female population in some rural areas, with the male population vastly out-numbering the female population.  And others speculate that China will become "the world's first gay superpower".<ref>''America Alone'' by [[Mark Steyn]].</ref>

In much of rural China, couples have a strong preference for male children for cultural and financial reasons. A male child will inherit the possessions of his parents, carry on the family name and any business, and work to support the parents when they are too old to support themselves. A female child, in comparison, will serve only to marry into another family, and contribute nothing to the property of her parents. Thus the demand for a male child is easily strong enough that rural families will often selectively abort baby girls before birth.  This has already caused an asymmetry between China's male population and female population in some rural areas, with the male population vastly out-numbering the female population.  And others speculate that China will become "the world's first gay superpower".<ref>''America Alone'' by [[Mark Steyn]].</ref>

===Exceptions===

===Exceptions===