40m bachelors and no women ... the birth of a new problem for China  

1.  In an unusually frank speech on China's looming demographic crisis, Li Weixiong, who advises the country's political consultative conference on population issues, said a cultural preference for boys was creating an artificial disparity between the number of boys and girls that represents "a serious threat to building a well-off society".

2.  Even in urban areas, boys are generally preferred because they are regarded as more able than girls to provide for their families, care for elderly relatives and continue the family line.

3.  Several years ago the government prohibited doctors from telling couples the sex of their child, but the measure seems to have had little effect.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1165129,00.html