Women in China: More money, more spending, more jobs – but still in charge of the home

3gzylon 2015-03-10

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(People's Daily Online) 11:21, March 10, 2015

The saying "If there were no women, all the money in the world would mean nothing" went viral on Chinese social media during yesterday's International Women's Day.

In almost two thirds of Chinese families, the women spend more money than the men, although the majority of women in China contribute less than a half of the total household income, according to recent research by 51job.com, a leading job hunting online agency in China.

In China, the male income generally determines the living standard of a family. However, 60 percent of mothers, wives and girlfriends are becoming the chief financial officer of the household in preference to their male counterparts. Almost one third of women are taking the lead when it comes to managing key investments, big-ticket purchases, mortgage payments and the like.

Many companies regard the female end-user as an important object of analysis and the main source of potential customers. Booming E-commerce in China benefits from women's spending power, at the same time as it also greatly stimulates their spending power. The "She-economy" is becoming the source of big revenues and profit sources for a large number of service-oriented businesses.

The sixth national census results showed that the employment rate of Chinese women had increased to 61 percent, of whom 44 percent were women in the workplace. With the rapid development of the urban tertiary industry (service industry), women are taking jobs in service industries such as retail and beauty salons, and as health professionals.

Working women are also family women. Professional women are now playing an increasingly important role in generating family income, but their family responsibilities have not been reduced. Data show that women dominated their children’s education in more than seventy percent of Chinese families. Women also do more housework than men in 62 percent of households in China. While half of the respondents said that they take care of their own parents, 41 percent expressed the view that women contribute more than men in taking care of parents and parents-in-law.

Human resource expert Feng Lijuan said that as of today China has still not succeeded in removing the glass ceiling for women. Professional women face more pressure than ever before. They not only need a fair chance in the workplace, but also understanding and care in the family environment.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Editor:Gao Yinan,Bianji)