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Women’s Lives in Contemporary Chinese Societies

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Women's Evolving Lives

Abstract

This chapter examines contemporary women’s lives in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan by highlighting common issues related to gender roles and stereotypes, marriage and family, paid and unpaid labor, violence against women, and mental health. The central role of the family in traditional Chinese culture intersects with women’s role identity and social experience. Notwithstanding political divides in systems and socioeconomic changes, the culture of gender defines the experience of Chinese women across geographical regions. Entrenched in gender stereotypes and ideologies, new challenges for women arise despite advances in their socioeconomic development. A gender mainstreaming approach is regarded as a more comprehensive model for women’s advancement in which men would be engaged as equal partners to address women’s issues in a gender perspective.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For information on ACWF and the 10-year Programs, see http://www.women.org.cn/english/index.htm; the combined 5th and 6th CEDAW report submitted to the 36th session of the United Nations CEDAW Committee in 2006 is available at http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/403/05/PDF/N0440305.pdf?OpenElement.

  2. 2.

    Information on the Equal Opportunities Commission in Hong Kong is available at http://www.eoc.org.hk; information on the Women’s Commission and related policies is available at http://www.women.gov.hk; The second and third CEDAW Report submitted to the the United Nations CEDAW Committee in 2006 and 2012 are available at http://www.lwb.gov.hk/UNCEDAW/eindex.html.

  3. 3.

    Information on the Foundation of Women’s Rights Promotion and Development and related gender issues in Taiwan is available at http://v1010.womenweb.org.tw/index.asp; Images of Women in Taiwan is available at http://v1010.womenweb.org.tw/Page_Show.asp?Page_ID=108.

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Suggested Readings and Resources for Further Study

  • Cheung, F., & Holroyd, E. (Eds.). (2009). Mainstreaming gender in Hong Kong society. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.

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  • Choi, S. Y. P., & Cheung, F. M. (Eds.) (2012). Women and girls in Hong Kong: Current situations and future challenges. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, Research Monograph 95.

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  • Halpern, D., & Cheung, F. (2008). Women at the top: Powerful leaders tell us how to combine work and family. New York: Wiley.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 315 University Administration Building, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China

    Fanny M. Cheung

  2. Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Block AS4 02-30, 9 Arts Link, Singapore, 117570, Singapore

    Catherine S. K. Tang

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Correspondence to Fanny M. Cheung .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Scholar, Oak Park, California, USA

    Carrie M. Brown

  2. Department of Psychology, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, New York, USA

    Uwe P. Gielen

  3. Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

    Judith L. Gibbons

  4. Department of Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Judy Kuriansky

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Cheung, F.M., Tang, C.S.K. (2017). Women’s Lives in Contemporary Chinese Societies. In: Brown, C., Gielen, U., Gibbons, J., Kuriansky, J. (eds) Women's Evolving Lives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58008-1_2

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