Editor's notes: The statistics released in this article
are the result of further analysis of the figures and conclusions
contained in the 'Second Survey of Chinese Women's Social Status'
which commenced in December 2000. Summary conclusions (only) were
made public in September last year.
Our rationale for revisiting the survey now is that the summary
reportage already published provides only a broad-brush overview of
the opinions of Chinese women. The following figures, released here
for the first time, offer a deeper insight into social realities by
reporting on such issues as satisfaction with lifestyle and
changing attitudes to sex.
We do also think it is appropriate that you the reader (and of
course the participants in the survey) should be made aware of the
full results. We feel this should be more than just a reference
document used only by experts and researchers.
The Second Survey on Chinese Women's Social Status, co-sponsored by
the All China Women's Federation and the National Bureau of
Statistics, showed:
Satisfaction with Intellectual Life Falls Behind That with
Material Life
Material standards of living have improved greatly with the rapid
growth in the nation's economy. The survey showed 76 percent of
those interviewed felt at least satisfied with their material life.
This included 20 percent who actually said they felt very
satisfied.
Compared with the high percentage of satisfaction with material
standards, satisfaction with cultural life and educational status
was much lower. About 67 percent felt satisfied with their cultural
life but less than half of the interviewees (47.5 percent) were
satisfied with their level of education.
More Satisfied with Family Life Than Social Life
About 77 percent of the interviewees felt satisfied with their
social status, while 18 percent were not very satisfied and the
rest were very unsatisfied.
Corresponding to the high satisfaction rate towards the roles of
men and women in family life, most participants expressed content
with their married life, totaling 94.5 percent. This includes some
46 percent who were very satisfied with their current marriage.
Three Outdated Concepts Challenged
- Men call the shots while women keep the house.
Supporters of this concept represented over half of those
interviewed. This view was particularly evident in rural areas and
men proved more likely than women to accept this stereotyping. In
the cities however, some 63 percent of women did not subscribe to
this view.
Perhaps urban women have a more strongly developed sense of
self-development and identity.
The concept that it is better to marry for money than developing a
career was noticeably more strongly supported by women than men
both in urban and rural areas.
About 39 percent of rural women and 34 percent of urban women
expressed their support for the concept. Among men those in favor
were 30 percent in rural areas and a very similar 31 percent in the
cities.
It
is perhaps surprising to see this opinion so widely accepted by
women with the obvious spin-off to the cause of women's
self-development.
Besides that, this trend will strengthen women's dependence on men
and weaken their sense of self-determination. In all it is a result
quite contrary to an image of female self-reliance.
- A woman is not complete without a child.
The survey shows only a quarter of participants agreed with this
concept. In fact nearly 70 percent selected either the "not quite
in favor" or the "quite unfavorable" categories for their
responses.
This result is interesting as for centuries it had been accepted in
China that it was the basic responsibility and indeed natural duty
of women to bear children. It points towards more open and liberal
attitudes towards relationships between men and women.
Four Emerging Issues Put to the Test
- Should women hold at least one third of the high level
positions in the government?
About 75 percent of the interviewees agree with the proposition and
of these 35 percent were strong supporters. However, 11 percent
disagreed and a further 14 percent failed to give a clear
response.
But three-quarters of the participants identified with the
hypothesis that the improvement of women's status is the natural
result of economic development. Only 18 percent didn't agree and 8
percent were just don't knows.
The survey showed that though traditional ideas on social roles are
being gradually eroded they still have some residual support.
- Should extramarital affairs be acceptable?
Half of the survey participants thought they should be acceptable
but only when their spouses fall into "accidental love affairs" or
make "casual mistakes." About a third said they would not accept
extramarital affairs at all.
This demonstrates a significant polarization of views on sexual
behavior and the opinions expressed were much the same across all
types of participants.
- Should the husband undertake half of the housework in the
family?
More than 80 percent of the people said yes, the husband should
undertake half of the housework. Women interviewees in particular,
from both cities and villages, strongly supported the idea of
equally shared housework. Men however tended not to share their
enthusiasm for this one.
The one-month-long survey conducted in December 2000, covered
19,512 citizens between the ages of 18 and 64 and some 3,000
village committees. Of the respondents, 8,875 were men (45.6
percent) and 10,574 were women (54.4 percent).
(china.org.cn, translated by James Liu, July 19, 2002)