Asian Women Enter the Jobs Market

25 Oct 2006

Ask many Chinese women who are now in their 20s and 30s how their lives compare with that of their mothers, and they would likely tell you that they are much better off, as they are now able to gain jobs. The lucky ones work in air-conditioned offices or factories, even if in mostly secretarial, clerical and assembling positions, have more spending power, the ability to travel and run their own businesses without having to toil long hours in the fields as their mothers and grandmothers once did.

Some savvy city women, working in secretarial jobs, now even sign prenuptial agreements and are permitted by law to sue their husbands for divorce, although getting a divorce is still difficult because most judges are men and they often side with the husband, who is allowed by law to keep the family home after a divorce.

According to the Chinese government’s 2000 census, people with university educations rose from 1.42 percent in 1990 to 3.61 percent. But there is no official figure on how many of these are females and what subjects they are studying, be it secretarial, admin or receptionist courses. By contrast, in Hong Kong, more than 70 percent of college students are women.

China also has another problem a shortage of women. The “one-child” policy that came into force in 1975 and China’s traditional preference for male children over females means men between the ages of 21 and 36 are finding it difficult to get married. The government census of 2000 showed that the country has 20 percent more boys than girls, aged 0 to 4 years. That is, four boys will be competing for the hand of one girl in the future. Some men might not be able to find a bride at all.

Since China opened its market to outside investment, thousands of village girls with no admin qualifications, have moved to coastal towns to work in factories. Even though their wages are meager and living condition harsh they have become their family’s sole breadwinners. The girls go home sporadically, perhaps once a year, before the start of the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year.