A recent survey released here Tuesday found that Chinese women’s social status is still lower than that of men despite the progress they have made in the last decade.
The All-China Women’s Federation and National Bureau of Statistics jointly surveyed 48,192 people throughout the country. They also conducted separate questionnaires for four groups consisting of migrant women farmers, women entrepreneurs, women workers in state-owned enterprises and minority women, respectively.
Women have a lower employment rate compared to men and they tend to have more difficulties finding another job once they are laid off, said the survey. There is also an increasing gap between the average wages of the two genders.
Meanwhile, women in rural areas are less likely to receive education and in governmental organs, their voices are seldom heard. However, in domestic households women are still obliged to do an average of 85 percent of the household chores.
The results of the survey suggest that more efforts should be made to improve the cultural environment for women’s development.
Peng Peiyun, president of the All-China Women’s Federation, said that the statistics of the survey will be of help to the government to implement its plan to improve women’s social status.
(Xinhua News Agency 09/04/2001)
