CHINA
- GENDER DIFFERENCES & GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE LABOR MARKET
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The Fourth
United Nations World Conference on Women is seen as a milestone for gender
analysis, and is taken as a prime source in the study of the Chinese economy.
[Baidu]
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TIME-April
9, 2014-The Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women, which was held in Beijing
in 1995, is seen as a milestone for gender analysis, and is taken as a prime
source in the study of the Chinese economy. Although the gender variable has
been taken into account in the analysis of income distribution, gender
difference, gender inequality and specific policy-related gender issues are
still not taken into account. The World Conference on Women not only brought
the enlightenment of gender consciousness to Chinese economics circles, but
also stimulated economists to use the theory of international analysis of
gender difference to research gender issues during the period of social
transition.
Since
the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great
Britain, gender inequality in the field of
social economy has attracted the attention of economists, especially the issue
of the average salary of female workers being lower than that of male workers.
In
the labor market, besides the gender difference that women still experience in
modern China, there are also discriminative institutions still in place, handed
down in the era of the planned economy, that have formed three kinds of
segregation, including social segregation between urban and rural areas,
segregation inside and outside of the publicly-owned system and segregation in
local administrative regions. Therefore, migrant workers experience these three
kinds of segregations at the same time, while the discrimination encountered by
female migrant workers is even more serious.
Although
the law on gender equality was enacted before and after the economic reform of China,
the implementation of the law still hasn't filtered down to all different
areas, industries and occupations, thus there still exists obvious differences.
To reduce and eliminate the gender inequality faced by migrant workers, the
premise of social equity and justice should be strengthened and efforts should
be made to make sure every member of society can realize their social,
political and economic rights equally. Moreover, additional systems should be
put in place for women in this marginal group.
Correspondingly,
in order to research the gender difference and inequality in China's
labor market, we not only need the general econometric method to analyze facts,
but we also need to delve into the characteristics that feature in social,
political, economic and cultural conditions. Exploring these questions will
deepen and expand the research on gender difference and inequality for the
economists in China.
Additionally, it will also promote decision-makers and the public to take
action to reduce and eliminate discriminative institutions and policies with
Chinese characteristics, so as to increase social inclusiveness during the
process of development.