Word of the Day: Tongqi （同妻）Homowife

The Economist has a very good article up on the unfortunate lives of tongqi, women who have married gay men. In America, about 15 to 20% of gay men marry heterosexual women. In China, that figure may be as high as 90%. Called tongqi, a mix between 同志 (tongzhi - "comrade," a slang term for gays) and 妻子 (qi zi - wife), there are an estimated 25 million of them. Some places have popped up online to be a sounding board for their frustrations - many, despite knowing their husbands are gay, choose not to leave them because of familial pressure.

I wonder how many straight guys find those message boards and offer "condolences."

Another article about these "Homowives."

You'd think with such a skewed male/female birth rate, China should be working on getting gays married instead of taking women off the market for straight men.