Since 1949 when Mao Zedong announced that “women hold up half the sky” people assumed that sexual discrimination against women had been demolished. This, however, is not the case. 2005 was the year in which the first law was passed that allowed women to take legal action against harassers and abusive husbands. The question remains, however, whether or not this institutional reform will be carried out in an adequate manner. There are deeply ingrained outlooks towards women that will take many years to change. This law is just the first step towards making women not only equals in the workplace but also comfortable in their work environments.
Although much advancement has been made to give women equal positions in the workplace, sexual harassment against women in the workplace is increasing. According to the BBC, sexual harassment continues to grow and affect women. A reported 79% of the women surveyed had experienced some form of sexual harassment.
Discrimination against women can be traced back throughout history. Traditional
ideals have enabled the existence of gender inequality for far too long. Attitudes include: societal preference for a boy over a girl child and the belief that “men are strong and women are weak” and “women are inferior to men.” Although women are presently given full equality under the law, the realization of these laws has yet to occur. Biased hiring is commonplace for reasons such as potential loss of a female employee due to maternity leave. To avoid this risk, many companies demote female employees and cut their wages in attempt make their female employees quite because they can no longer legally fire a woman for simply being a woman.
Such discrimination can be seen in China’s history with the one child rule and the recent failure of implementing new laws of women’s rights into society. New laws are being passed but not enough of a substantial difference in being made by companies and fellow workers to better the equality of women in the workplace. In most business jobs, women are required to attach a picture of their face on their resumes and in factory jobs women are being expended like pawns; hence views of women workers being viewed as of less value than males.
PAY
In Beijing in 1999, women made only 73% of the incomes that their male counterparts earned.
Overall, in urban China, women face a wide array of discriminations relating to their gender and from this, there is an obvious discrepancy between the income of male and female workers of various occupations. These discriminations most notably stem from cultural norms as to what is expected of women and how they are viewed as quality workers within the working class of China.
Female migrant workers are in particular the most discriminated against amongst female workers in urban China. In a study by the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS) only 37% of the vast difference in monthly income between males and females could be justified by the quality of labor put forth by the workers. This 37% can be accounted for by factors such as lack of education (due to men having advantages of opportunity to receive education) and lack of physical endurance. The remaining 63% can simply only be described as gender discrimination (Yang and Li 296).
Businesswomen
Women in China have to work exceptionally hard both at work and at home with the family as businesswomen. Not only do they have to work twice as hard due to their cultural duties as women but in order to be accepted in business, they must work even more vigorously to fight against males' negative cultural views of women in the workplace as inferior.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/04/11/business/11factory.600.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanjpyle/4113633988/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanjpyle/4113448405/
Dress code for urban women
http://img.en.china.cn/0/0,0,64,15808,344,492,822d47c2.jpg
Modest outfits, including high necklines, short heels or flats and skirts that fall past the knee are seen as the appropriate business wear for women.
Dress code is such an important part of business for women in the workplace in China that those who fail to comply to the code are seen as untrustworthy business partners. In addition, women who dress in a flamboyant manner are seen as undependable. As if Chinese women didn't have enough cards stacked against them; work-wear is another tool that can either be used against them to suppress attempts to become equals in the workplace or something that can further advance their status.
De Mente, B. (1994). Chinese etiquette & ethics in business. Lincolnwood, Ill., USA: NTC Business Books.
Image and Job Competativeness
With China's movement away from an industrial society (in which most people worked in factories) to a service society, looks are becoming increasingly more important. During Mao's regime, almost all workers wore blue overalls and if anyone were to dress differently they would be accused of being a bourgeois capitalist and risk being persecuted. With the change to a market economy in 1979, competitions for job increased and people began to seek anything that would give them that competitive edge. With the ban of plastic surgery being lifted in the early 1980s, women began to turn to self-alterations as investments to get jobs. Leg lengthening surgeries were a popular investment option for people looking to get ahead in the workforce by adding inches to their stature. These surgeries, however, left many people permanently disfigured. Leg lengthening surgery was banned in 2006. According to China Daily, "Now people will proudly admit they had done plastic surgery as it's perceived as a sign of affluence and sophistication." The taboo that is often associated with plastic surgery seems to have all but disappeared in China in the name of competition.
Bloomberg
2006. Chinese Women Under Knife in Race for Jobs, Husbands. China Daily
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-01/13/content_512105.htm
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/bodyhack/images/patient_asian1.jpg (IMAGE)
Leg lengthening procedure
Even though this example primarily focuses on the struggles of a short man in China, the demand to be tall and of acceptable height can be seen in this video. Also, the video gives details and shows some steps of the surgical procedure.
A tall order-video
It's painful and slow, but can make you five inches taller.
Jonathan Watts on the surgical trend sweeping China - leg-lengthening
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/dec/15/gender.uk
