(ECNS) -- Men with lower educational qualifications and women with higher ones are more prone to being single in China, researchers have shown

(ECNS) -- Men with lower educational qualifications and women with higher ones are more prone to being single in China, researchers have shown

Women with a doctoral degree are often joked about as people of "the third gender" in China

One female student said she planned to pursue a doctoral degree but her family was strongly opposed to the idea, worrying that a higher education might be an obstacle to her future family life, while her boyfriend feared he would be dumped, China Youth Daily reported

Several other media reports have exposed the pressures faced by well-educated women in seeking a relationship as they were assumed to be lacking in femininity and attractiveness

Chen Jinkuan, a teacher of social psychology at Zhengzhou University in Henan Province, said studies show women with a higher education find it as difficult as men with lower educations to find a partner

Surveys also show men are generally willing to get married to women who have a similar education level and are daunted by women with better educational and work qualifications and knowledge

The report called for gender equality and more support and respect for women in seeking higher education