On International Women¡¯s Day, male students in China have lauded their female classmates with some odd and slightly less-than-feminist messages across campus.

¡°Thanks to your beauty, we never have to be gay,¡± exclaimed one big-character banner from Xi¡¯an Peihua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ students.

¡°Even though it is crowded inside the closet, because of you¡­girls, we will never come out of the closet,¡± another campus banner read, according to a compilation of more unusual tributes collected by the .

¡°Management and economics girls are the only wives my mother approves,¡± said another banner at Guangxi 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ for Nationalities.

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Meanwhile, a banner at Zhengzhou 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ read ¡°my mother said wives must be found from Zhengda¡±, referring to another name for the university.

Engineering physics students from Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ in Beijing put up a banner that said ¡°goddesses, don¡¯t play with atomic bombs anymore. Come home with me!¡±

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Although Chinese women outstripped men in terms of tertiary enrolment in 2008, they still face a number of barriers before, during and after study.

Many universities discriminate against female applicants, demanding higher grades from women or subjecting them to quotas, it has been .

Recent research by Chinese academics found that male science professors ¨C who dominate the upper echelons of the profession ¨C saw their male students as having more ability and enthusiasm for their work, despite female scientists seeing no difference.

And after graduation, Chinese women can face perceived stigma for having been over-educated, making it harder to marry.

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david.matthews@tesglobal.com