Women in China
December 1, 2009
Women in rural China have no perception of women's rights - and 19-year-old Wu Jinhong is no exception. She left her village in the mountains of western China hoping to start a new life in Beijing. Jinhong has to work hard to support her family and enable her two sisters to attend school.
There are an ever-increasing number of women like Jinhong. Seeing no future in their villages and following the lure of the bright lights, they expect to improve their lives in the cities - only to be badly disappointed. The women end up working for low wages and even then, for less money than the men get.
The migrant worker and the manager
The flip side of rural migration is a new generation of women who are emerging in China's metropolises. They are reaping the benefits of economic reforms.
One of these women is Shao Yun, director of an events and marketing agency. Her priority is to have a successful career and to be self-sufficient. She is well educated, earns good money and enjoys social recognition.
For Yun, it is most important that she has freed herself from the traditional influence of her family - including the decision whether she marries or has children.
The clash between tradition and change
Both these women's stories illustrate the contradictions of Chinese society. In the 1980s, China's reform policies opened up new opportunities for women in the cities. But they failed to penetrate rural areas, where cultural traditions remain strong and men are generally held in higher esteem.
Thus, the leap from communism to a market economy has not been an easy transition for many women.
Economic advancement has helped China's women move closer towards Mao Zedong's promise that half the sky belongs to women. But it has not affected the equal rights he promised. A large part of the female population faces a daily battle for basic rights and for a better life. For many of China's roughly 665 million women, the route from rags to riches is still largely a dream.
Authors: Yao Yongmei/Eva Mehl
Editor: Sabina Casagrande