In China, three in five men are dumped because they can’t afford a flat, survey suggests

About 60 per cent of Chinese men say they have previously been dumped by a girlfriend because they cannot afford to get a mortgage to buy a flat, a survey suggests.

Women in Zhengzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin were the most insistent that boyfriends have the cash to buy a home, the news website Hsw.cn reported.

The survey was carried out by the Chinese dating website Jiayuan.com and 165,000 single people took part, according to the report.

About 69 per cent of women polled thought it was man or his family’s responsibility to prepare to buy a flat before marriage, the survey said.

Only 10 per cent of women surveyed said it was acceptable to live in a rented apartment after getting married. More than 50 per cent of women said they would not feel secure in a marriage living in rented accommodation.

The survey prompted a mixed reaction among men and women on the internet in China.

“No new house, no wedding ceremony. It’s a typical ‘naked marriage’. No Chinese girl would accept such a marriage unless she has severe defects,” said one woman in Shenzhen.