not only did the chinese customs concerning death greatly burden the family, but an unmarried daughter became a source of great embarrassment and concern. in charlotte ikels "parental perspectives on the significance of marriage" she reports, "traditionally, girls who did not marry were regarded as a threat to the entire family and were not allowed to continue living at home. even in contemporary hong kong, it is believed unmarried women are assumed to have psychological problems. presumably no normal person would remain unmarried voluntarily." for girls who choose to remain unmarried, "bride-initiated spirit marriage" (or a ghost marriage initiated by a living bride) was a successful "marriage-resistance practice" that allowed them to remain single while still being integrated into a lineage. however, it did come with some negative connotations, being called a "fake spirit-marriage" or referred to as "marrying a spirit tablet", and a way to avoid marriage.