Research Paper On Gender Discrimination In China

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Gender Discrimination in China
Introduction
Discrimination is defined as the unfair treatment or unequal treatment of targeted members of a particular group in the society. Discrimination is a widespread phenomenon in past and current societies. The commonest form of discrimination that has been observed in almost all cultures is gender-based discrimination towards female members of the community. China, a country in Asia, just like any other community has faced important challenges and developments in gender discrimination and inequality. Gender inequality in china has existed in the country for a long time, because of the role the China’s traditions have in relation to equality between the sexes (ICEF). Even though there are reported cases of sex discrimination in the current Chinese society, it is plausible that a lot has been attained towards gender equality, for instance; provision of education, economic participation, voicing choices in marriage and the rise of feminism in China.
Discussion
The period before and around the 1980s marked critical development in women's rights in Asia. Availability of education to the female child has been one of the most discussed forms of women discrimination. It is reported that a significant population of Chinese girls could not access education and related facilities (Wu et al. 2). Even in the current times, there are claims of inequality in accessing education for the female child. A closer look at the state of education in China reveals a more positive perspective. Between the 1980 and 2000, the number of schools in China drastically improved. Zeng et. al states that between the period, the number of elementary schools and the number of available slots in secondary schools increased tremendously, and accelerated in early 21st century, as the country started to open up vocational training and education schools (462). Within that period, the nation was experiencing the most rapid positive economic transformation in the world. Hence, the ability of the country to provide quality education to the growing population improved.
As the country experienced massive economic transformation, there was a growing need for skilled labor. In response to this demand, the government increased investment in secondary and tertiary education, making it available for both boys and girls. Availability of education for girls was, however, challenged by Chinese traditions. The same cannot be echoed for the current Chinese society. China is described as one of the regions in the world with the highest rate of education availability for both the male and the female child (Wu et al. 3). From a feminist point of view, equality in education has not yet been attained. The rather observation can be associated with the adoption of the Hokou system, which divided the nation into the rural and urban regions. Gender discrimination and inequality in the education sector are some of the challenges facing the rural regions as discussed in Wu et al (5). However, gender discrimination is not a term that can be used to describe China’s education system as a whole. There is need to appreciate the enormous strides that the country as attained, posing as an example to many nat...