ID | 089396 |
Title Proper | Women's participation in village autonomy in China |
Other Title Information | evidence from Zhejiang province |
Language | ENG |
Author | Guo, Xiajuan ; Zheng, Yongnian ; Yang, Lijun |
Publication | 2009. |
Summary / Abstract (Note) | Drawing on the data collected from three surveys in China's Zhejiang province during the period from 1999 to 2006, this article attempts to examine women's political participation in village autonomy and village elections in China. The data show that while men and women have obtained a very similar level of self-awareness and motivation in terms of political participation, China's patriarchal system, embedded in various forms of mindset and political practice, continues to constrain rural women's political involvement in a substantial way. The gender gap remains and the proportion of rural women in local power structures is declining. The article explains both the similarities and differences between men and women in rural political participation, and identifies some major causes for the decline of women's share in grassroots leading positions. It shows that there is no causal linkage between economic development and the improvement of women's political participation, and that the lack of political and other systematic supports leads to the low proportion of women in local power structures. |
`In' analytical Note | China Quarterly vol. , No. 197; Mar 2009: p.145-164 |
Journal Source | China Quarterly vol. , No. 197; Mar 2009: p.145-164 |
Key Words | China ; Village Autonomy ; Women's Participation ; Zhejiang Province ; Women's Political Participation ; Village Elections ; Economic Development |