What is the key way to ensure a woman’s joy? Power, money, love, sex? In reality, it appears that self-fulfillment is the answer to a question that has puzzled generations of men, with over 60 percent of the respondents citing this reason in a recent survey.

 

The survey was the brainchild of Yueji.Self, a Chinese-language magazine launched this month by the Women of China magazine and the magazine publisher Conde Nast Publications.

 

"The high marks for self -fulfillment are inspiring and encouraging," was the reaction of Li Yinhe, a noted sexologist and professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "This demonstrates an important transition where women now want to achieve real value in their lives, eclipsing previous fulfillment which lay in the realm of their private lives. In valuing self-fulfillment, women can truly become equal to men. "

 

In China, traditional thinking has tied men to their careers and women to their families. However, as Li commented, only 22.5 of those queried prioritizing love in terms of happiness does not mean Chinese women are losing faith in matters of the heart.

 

However, it shows that love no longer dominates women’s lives, a trend further strengthened by the decision of many Chinese women to remain single.

 

Accompanying the downfall of love’s dominance in a woman’s life is the matter of sex, with only 2.2 percent of Chinese women viewing it as the most important factor in being happy.

 

Here, Li revealed, we can catch a glimpse of old stereotypes which still prevail. "A good woman should not like sex," she said. "Love is a beautiful word. But power, money and sex all represent the negative things."

 

This also shows why only 0.6 percent of women chose power, the lowest among all options, the survey showed.

 

"Awareness of women's empowerment remains relatively low in China," Li said. "The country has long been a patriarchal society and remains so in that women enjoy less opportunities than men."

 

"An example of this is that, despite progress being made for gender equality of late, only 20 percent of the National People's Congress (NPC) members are females," Li said.

 

The survey is was the first of its kind to be undertaken and encapsulated 15 mainland cities, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It garnered responses from 24,107 women in the 25-35 age range from December 2006 and March 2007.

 

It brought to light some interesting provincial differences.

 

Women from Taiwan Province expect more money, due to the province's fluctuating economy and marriage culture, causing insecurity about their wedded future, commented Lan Huaien, a Taiwan gender culture researcher and a writer.

 

The survey also showed the more romantic nature of Hong Kong women, with 34.3 percent of women believing that love mattered the most.

 

"Hong Kong women are suffering from a drought of love," was the opinion of Su Hei, a Hong Kong psychological consultant. "They have raised higher standards in choosing their matches."

 

(China Daily March 27, 2007)