According to a report from the Shanghai media, a survey carried out recently indicates that the "most ideal life" for college women combines love and family.

According to the study, 70 percent of college women believe, "love and family are equally important, while the best is to have both at the same time."

Geng Wenxiu, a professor from the Women Research Center of East China Normal University, conducted the survey of female college students at four universities including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tongji University and East China Normal University.

The survey shows that the respondents prefer to balance love and family, and that the proportion of women who prioritize marriage and family is a little larger than those who feel that a career is most important.

Some 19.7 percent of college girls think that career and family should account for 30 percent and 70 percent of their life, respectively, while 15.2 percent believe career and family should account for 70 percent and 30 percent of their life, respectively.

If their career comes into conflict with their marriage and family, 37.3 percent of college girls would choose their career first and try to fix their marriages with whatever resources remaining.

Some 61.2 percent of college girls would choose marriage first and use their remaining strength to pursue a career.

Professor Geng believes that there is greater pluralism of value judgment among Chinese women born after the seventies.

This pluralism is the result of their coming of age in an era of reform and openness, in an environment of enormous social change.

A more traditional approach to marriage and family, placing these two institutions as the goal of a woman's life, has been discouraged in recent years.

However, it has once again resurfaced as a value amongst women born in the eighties.

(China Daily March 9, 2005)