'Making the most of her experience as a journalist and her training in sociology, Leta Hong Fincher draws on previous breakthrough works in Chinese gender studies and her own interviews, while proving equally at home summarizing statistics and telling poignant tales of individual experience. The result is an engagingly written, thought provoking work on a crucially important but often overlooked subject. Essential reading.' Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author of 'China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know' 'In lively and accessible prose Hong-Fincher demonstrates conclusively that urban professional women have been disproportionately disadvantaged during China's breakneck economic development and largest wealth accumulation in human history. Hong-Fincher exhaustively cites media, government statistics, her own interviews, and her Weibo survey results to substantiate the fact that gender inequality in China has reappeared with a vengeance and shows no signs of abating any time soon.' Rebecca E. Karl, New York University 'Cast aside what you think you know about the "empowered" women of China today. Modern Chinese women are under pressure in a society that often locks them out of social equality, property rights, and legal protection from domestic abuse. This is the reality that China scholar Leta Hong Fincher puts forward in her study of resurgent gender inequality in China. Her book is a well-researched and riveting read, including a number of gripping personal accounts straight from China's so-called "Leftover Women." For any curious observer of China or women's issues, this is one to read.' Kristie Lu Stout, Anchor/Correspondent, CNN International

Leta Hong Fincher is an award-winning former journalist who has published in a number of magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times. She is completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at Tsinghua University.

Introduction 1. Holding Up Half the Sky: Historical Background 2. China's "Leftover" Women 3. Real Estate Mania and the Gender Wealth Gap 4. Domestic Violence and the Web of Abuse 5. The dismantling of Workplace Gains 6. The Harmonious Society Conclusion