The Role of Women in the People's Republic of China: Legacy and Change

After 25 years of communist rule, women in China have made significant progress toward emancipation. However, some aspects of traditional sex role differentiation still persist in the family. Furthermore, in work outside the home, women still experience discrimination in pay and important jobs. In the political area, women are still discriminated against on the national level. Most of the important government positions are held by men. Although the magnitude of sex inequality in the past can explain some of these legacies, a more complete explanation must take into account the survival of the concept of Yin-Yang, the patrilineal kinship system; the Ancestral Cult in China; and the inadequacy of the socialist revolution.