Almost everyone agrees that there is some form of gender discrimination in China, whether greater or less. Most families in China would rather have a boy as their child than a girl. Since there is a one child policy, the parents usually want a boy to carry on the family name. Even those who have daughters are often looked down upon. There are organizations working to get rid of discrimination and create equal rights for girls and women in China. There is not only discrimination in childbirth, but also in education and the workplace.
Male preference at birth is quite higher than female. Female babies that are not wanted are often left in orphanages, abandoned by their parents, or even victims of infanticide. With China's extremely strict one child "happy family" policy, parents would rather have a boy to carry on the family name than a girl. Some parents that have more than one child, so that they don't have to get rid of their daughter, are fined with extremely pricey taxes that are not affordable by common Chinese families. In this sense, families are given the choice between one child and poverty.
In education, 91% of female children pass primary school, and a greater number of female students are enrolled in colleges than male, but schooling can still be difficult. In urban areas, there is almost no gender discrimination, while in rural areas there is a great amount of discrimination toward females that has not improved for years. The most discrimination in education takes place between the beginning of primary school and the end of mid-secondary school, otherwise known as junior high school. Although not much has been done to change this, there are some signs showing that girls are being accepted into school.
Females in the common workplace earn an average of 69% of what their male counterparts make. Only 27% of the National People's Congress delegates are women compared to the other 73% being male. Most workers in the business environment are expected to be male in order to survive the hard surroundings. Most companies also look first for male workers, not because they are better, but because that is their normal tendency. Jobs and political positions are rarely obtainable by women in China.
Sexual discrimination is still a major part of China's structure. In childbirth, education, and the workplace, women have been oppressed and looked down upon for many years. Although there is still much discrimination against women in China, the two sexes are slowly becoming equal.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/china-fights-gender-inequality-workplace
http://reap.stanford.edu/publications/gender_inequality_in_education_in_china_a_metaregression_analysis
Male preference at birth is quite higher than female. Female babies that are not wanted are often left in orphanages, abandoned by their parents, or even victims of infanticide. With China's extremely strict one child "happy family" policy, parents would rather have a boy to carry on the family name than a girl. Some parents that have more than one child, so that they don't have to get rid of their daughter, are fined with extremely pricey taxes that are not affordable by common Chinese families. In this sense, families are given the choice between one child and poverty.
In education, 91% of female children pass primary school, and a greater number of female students are enrolled in colleges than male, but schooling can still be difficult. In urban areas, there is almost no gender discrimination, while in rural areas there is a great amount of discrimination toward females that has not improved for years. The most discrimination in education takes place between the beginning of primary school and the end of mid-secondary school, otherwise known as junior high school. Although not much has been done to change this, there are some signs showing that girls are being accepted into school.
Females in the common workplace earn an average of 69% of what their male counterparts make. Only 27% of the National People's Congress delegates are women compared to the other 73% being male. Most workers in the business environment are expected to be male in order to survive the hard surroundings. Most companies also look first for male workers, not because they are better, but because that is their normal tendency. Jobs and political positions are rarely obtainable by women in China.
Sexual discrimination is still a major part of China's structure. In childbirth, education, and the workplace, women have been oppressed and looked down upon for many years. Although there is still much discrimination against women in China, the two sexes are slowly becoming equal.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/china-fights-gender-inequality-workplace
http://reap.stanford.edu/publications/gender_inequality_in_education_in_china_a_metaregression_analysis