Social SciencesGender StudiesSociologyFeminist TheoryGenderWomen's StudiesGender And WorkGender EqualityGender In AsiaGender TheoryWomen's Economic HistoryWomen’s Employment PolicyChinese EconomyChinese SocietyWomen's Labor Force Participation
The economic conditions facing women in the Peoples' Republic of China have changed markedly in the years since the founding of the country in 1949. This paper provides a survey of women's conditions and finds that contradictions remain between the constitutional mandate of equality for women and the reality of unequal opportunities available to women. Although women's economic status has improved since 1949, future improvements will depend upon how well economic policies are able to deal with the structural inequalities that exist between rural and urban areas as well as the national perceptions of the nature of women's work.