Xinhua Insight: Women enjoy higher status, but equality challenges remain

After Liu Xia, 28, gave birth to a child this year, her husband started to do more housework: cooking, washing clothes and mopping the floor. Liu is only responsible for taking care of her baby.

"Two or three decades ago, most women like my mother did most housework even when their children were young," said the young mother from the eastern Chinese city of Nanchang.

Liu's situation is more common nowadays in China, particularly in cities, as young women are better treated than previous generations.

HIGHER STATUS

Females now outnumber males in the graduate and post-graduate education by about 4 percentage points in China, according to a white paper on gender equality and women's development released on Tuesday.

The number of female entrepreneurs accounts for one quarter of the total in China, and about 55 percent of new Internet businesses are founded by women.

More and more women are well educated and financially independent. Young professionals enjoy more equality with their other half and have more say in family decisions. Women's participation in decision making and management has markedly improved.

China values the role of women in government and is improving their representation in the ranks of deputies to people's congresses.

China is also legislating against domestic violence. The country's first domestic violence legislation was reviewed at last month's legislative session.

It has become the norm for husbands and wives to make family decisions together, with more than 70 percent of women taking part in major family decisions. More and more women can share family resources on an equal basis with men, and the concept of men and women sharing housework is now accepted.

In cities, some young women even refuse to do housework until their husbands lend a hand and some reach an agreement with their spouse before the marriage.

EQUALITY CHALLENGES

Many young female professionals say women still face prejudice in one way or another.

Zhang Wuyang, who works at Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, said she still thinks that women have a lower status than men.

"Bounded by traditional views, women would face enormous pressure if they do not get married and give birth to a child," Zhang said. "Men never face such intense pressure."

In China, unmarried urban females over 27 are tagged as "leftover women." In fact, China has over 30 million more men than women due to traditional preference for boys.

Zhang, who graduated from Peking University this summer, does not think that she faced any prejudice in hunting jobs in the fashion and PR industry.h "But gender prejudices in employment in some other sectors do exist," she said.

Zheng Xiaoxi, an editor in Beijing, said, "In modern society, women are widely expected to contribute more in family affairs. While in work, people usually expect less of women than men. Many might believe it is nice and enjoy the lower work pressure, but I do not like the preconception." Endi