Left Behind? The Status of Women in Contemporary China
Autor/in:
Walker, Robert; Millar, Jane
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 2, S 1-9
Inhalt: The status of women in China has deteriorated markedly since 2006 relative to other countries, according to the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index. Taking a longer view, the position of women has greatly improved since the founding of the People’s Republic of China but, after the ‘opening up’ of the economy, the logic of the market and the legacy of patriarchy have worked to the detriment of women. After briefly reviewing trends in China’s economic, demographic and social development, this editorial follows the structure of the thematic issue in focusing on the processes which may have caused women to slip behind. Socio-economic and political factors are considered first before focusing on the impact of unprecedently large scale migration. The circumstances and experiences of women ‘left outside’ mainstream society are explored next before reflecting on the lives of women left behind in poverty.
Schlagwörter:China; China; woman; sozialer Status; social status; sozioökonomische Entwicklung; socioeconomic development; gender-specific factors; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Patriarchat; patriarchy; politische Faktoren; political factors; Migration; migration; Erwerbstätigkeit; gainful employment; China; economic development; employment; family; gender; marketisation; migration; patriarchy; poverty; women
Women in China Moving Forward: Progress, Challenges and Reflections
Autor/in:
Yang, Juhua
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 2, S 23-35
Inhalt: While China's socialist revolution has been credited with improving the status of women, gender inequality remains. Drawing on macro data, this article provides an overview of gender equality in China, focusing on labor force and political participation in the past 70 years, particularly since 1978, the onset of socioeconomic reform. Specifically, the article describes, compares, and examines the progress and challenges that women face in accessing economic opportunities and political resources. We find a more equal relationship between male and female when resources are relatively adequate, but that females are disadvantaged when resources are scarce, for example, including representation in more prestigious occupations, higher income, and political positions. These findings illustrate how inequality is maintained and reproduced, and suggest that despite China’s progressive socialist agenda, its gender revolution remains 'stalled.'
Schlagwörter:China; China; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; gender-specific factors; woman; Erwerbsbeteiligung; labor force participation; politische Partizipation; political participation; Gleichstellung; affirmative action; historische Entwicklung; historical development; Geschlechterverhältnis; gender relations; Benachteiligung; deprivation; Ostasien; Far East
Work-Family Arrangement and Conflict: Do Individual Gender Role Attitudes and National Gender Culture Matter?
Autor/in:
Bornatici, Christina; Heers, Marieke
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 4, S 46-60
Inhalt: This article examines the relationship between couples' work-family arrangement and individuals' perceived work–family conflict (WFC), considering individuals’ attitudes towards gender roles and national gender culture in 37 countries (N = 15,114). Previous research has shown that WFC depends on work and family demands and has mostly accounted for absolute time spent in paid and domestic work. We hypothesize that WFC depends on couples' work-family arrangement in terms of time spent in paid, domestic and care work. We further expect that the relationship between couples' work-family arrangement and WFC depends on individuals' gender attitudes and national gender culture. To test these assumptions, we use the ISSP-2012 data and apply multilevel linear regression analyses. The findings indicate that an egalitarian work-family arrangement - that is, sharing paid, domestic and care work equally with one's partner - is associated with lower levels of WFC. Moreover, individuals with egalitarian gender attitudes and an egalitarian work-family arrangement experience less WFC than individuals with inconsistent attitudes and behaviours. Individuals with consistent traditional attitudes and behaviours experience the most conflict. Finally, a more egalitarian gender culture relates to less WFC. Cross-level interactions indicate that the relationship between work-family arrangement and WFC is not mediated by countries' gender culture.
Schlagwörter:Familie-Beruf; work-family balance; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; gender-specific factors; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; Hausarbeit; housework; Betreuung; care; allein erziehender Elternteil; single parent; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; kulturelle Faktoren; cultural factors; internationaler Vergleich; international comparison; care work; couple dynamics; gender culture; gender role; work–family arrangement; work–family conflict; ISSP 2012
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie
Left Behind? Migration Stories of Two Women in Rural China
Autor/in:
Fan, C. Cindy; Chen, Chen
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 2, S 47-57
Inhalt: Women being left behind in the countryside by husbands who migrate to work has been a common phenomenon in China. On the other hand, over time, rural women’s participation in migration has increased precipitously, many doing so after their children are older, and those of a younger generation tend to start migrant work soon after finishing school. Although these women may no longer be left behind physically, their work, mobility, circularity, and frequency of return continue to be governed by deep-rooted gender ideology that defines their role primarily as caregivers. Through the biographical stories of two rural women in Anhui, this article shows that traditional gender norms persist across generations. Yingyue is of an older generation and provided care to her husband, children, and later grandchildren when she was left behind, when she participated in migration, and when she returned to her village. Shuang is 30 years younger and aspires to urban lifestyle such as living in apartments and using daycare for her young children. Yet, like Yingyue, Shuang’s priority is caregiving. Her decisions, which are in tandem with her parents-in-law, highlight how Chinese families stick together as a safety net. Her desire to earn wages, an activity much constrained by her caregiving responsibility to two young children, illustrates a strong connection between income-generation ability and identity among women of the younger generation. These two stories underscore the importance of examining how women are left behind not only physically but in their access to opportunities such as education and income-generating activity.
Schlagwörter:China; China; ländlicher Raum; rural area; Wanderarbeitnehmer; migrant worker; woman; Betreuung; care; gender-specific factors; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Ostasien; Far East; caregiving; left behind; rural-urban migration
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie
Islam, Gender, Intersektionalität: Bildungswege junger Frauen in der Schweiz
Autor/in:
Gasser, Nathalie
Quelle: Bielefeld (Kultur und soziale Praxis), 2020. 344 S
Inhalt: Wie wirkt sich der aktuelle Islamdiskurs auf Bildungsbiografien junger Secondas aus? Wie beeinflussen unterschiedliche Differenzkategorien wie beispielsweise Gender und Religion die Bildungsbiografien? Und wirken diese Kategorien intersektionell? Die Autorin zeigt auf, wie unterschiedlich junge Secondas aus der Schweiz mit der Herausforderung umgehen, als religiös orientierte muslimische Frauen in einem tendenziell islamkritischen Umfeld bildungsbiografisch zu bestehen. Sie verdeutlicht die bestehenden Bildungsbarrieren samt den unterschiedlichen Taktiken, diese zu umgehen. Auf dieser Grundlage diskutiert sie, inwiefern Religion dabei als intersektionale, interdependente Analysekategorie gefasst werden kann.
Schlagwörter:Islam; Islam; Gender; gender; Intersektionalität; intersectionality; Schweiz; Switzerland; woman; Muslim; Muslim; Bildungsverlauf; course of education; Bildungswesen; education system; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Jugendlicher; adolescent; Migrationshintergrund; migration background; Bildungschance; educational opportunity; Ethnographie; ethnography; Religionszugehörigkeit; religious affiliation; Integration; integration; Agency; Bildungsanthropologie; Bildungsbiografien; Discourse on Islam; Educational Anthropology; Educational Biographies; Islamdiskurs; Islamic Studies; Michel De Certeau; Secondas
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Bildungs- und Erziehungssoziologie
Unsichtbare Arbeit: geschlechtersoziologische Perspektiven auf Verfestigungen und Neuverhandlungen von Ungleichheiten am Beispiel von Digitalisierung, körpernahen Dienstleistungen und der Corona-Pandemie
Titelübersetzung:Invisible Work: stabilization and re-negotiation of inequality in the fields of digital work, body work and in light of the Covid-19 pandemic - a sociology of gender perspective
Autor/in:
Carstensen, Tanja; Klein, Isabel
Quelle: AIS-Studien, 13 (2020) 2, S 61-77
Inhalt: Die Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung hat bereits in den 1970er Jahren herausgearbeitet, dass sich das Verhältnis von Arbeit und Geschlecht entlang der Achse Sichtbarkeit/Unsichtbarkeit konstituiert. Die Un/Sichtbarkeit von Arbeit ist grundlegend für die Hervorbringung von Geschlechterungleichheiten, sowohl in Erwerbsarbeit als auch in (unbezahlter) Reproduktionsarbeit. Gleichzeitig wird die Grenze zwischen beiden immer wieder neu verhandelt. Der Beitrag rekonstruiert dieses Verhältnis und untersucht am Beispiel von Digitalisierung, körpernahen Dienstleistungen und der Corona-Pandemie, wie sich durch aktuelle Veränderungen das Verhältnis von Arbeit, Geschlecht und Unsichtbarkeit neu konstituiert und differenziert. Der Beitrag zeigt, dass Unsichtbarkeit als analytische Kategorie in der Erforschung von Arbeit und Geschlechterverhältnissen den Blick auf historische Kontinuitäten genauso wie auf Grenzverschiebungen und Neuaushandlungen schärfen kann.
Schlagwörter:gender-specific factors; gender; woman; berufstätige Frau; working woman; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Digitalisierung; digitalization; Dienstleistungsarbeit; service work; Epidemie; epidemic; Geschlechterverhältnis; gender relations; COVID-19; Coronavirus
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Industrie- und Betriebssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, industrielle Beziehungen
Wandel und Persistenz beruflicher Exklusionsprozesse in der chemischen Industrie: zur sozialen Schließung von Tätigkeitsfeldern über das Ungleichheitsmerkmal Geschlecht in historischer Perspektive
Titelübersetzung:Change and persistence of professional exclusion processes in the chemical industry: on the social closure of career fields throug the inequality characteristic of gender in a historical perspective
Autor/in:
Horstmann, Anna
Quelle: AIS-Studien, 13 (2020) 2, S 28-42
Inhalt: Der Beitrag untersucht den Wandel von In- und Exklusionsmechanismen von Frauen aus der Chemieindustrie von 1900 bis 1990 in einem interdisziplinären unternehmens- und epochenübergreifenden Vergleich anhand des Konzepts der sozialen Schließung nach Max Weber. Um die soziologische Theorie der sozialen Schließung von Berufsfeldern jedoch für die Sozialgeschichte nutzbar zu machen, bedarf es einer Operationalisierung dieses Konzepts. Mithilfe der Dimensionen der sozialen Ungleichheit zwischen den Geschlechtern nach Nancy Fraser können Schließungs- und Wandlungsprozesse über einen langen Zeitraum miteinander in Bezug gesetzt und nachvollzogen werden. Anhand einer Fallstudie zu Chemikerinnen und Laborantinnen in der deutschen Chemieindustrie zwischen 1900 und 1990 wird exemplarisch skizziert, wie sich Webers Theorie für eine interdisziplinär angelegte Sozialgeschichte praktisch umsetzen lässt.
Schlagwörter:chemische Industrie; chemical industry; woman; Inklusion; inclusion; Exklusion; exclusion; historische Entwicklung; historical development; Weber, M.; Weber, M.; soziale Schließung; social discrimination; gender-specific factors; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Sozialgeschichte; social history
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Sozialgeschichte, historische Sozialforschung
Protective Behavior in Course of the COVID-19 Outbreak: Survey Results From Germany
Autor/in:
Lüdecke, Daniel; Knesebeck, Olaf von dem
Quelle: Frontiers in Public Health, 8 (2020) 572561, S 1-8
Inhalt: Objective: The COVID-19 outbreak means far-reaching changes in the organization of daily lives. Disease-related literacy and factors such as age, gender, or education play a major role in shaping individual practices of protective behavior. This paper investigates different types and frequency of practicing protective behaviors, as well as socio-demographic factors that are associated with such behavioral change. Methods: Data stem from a cross-sectional survey in Germany. Three thousand seven hundred and sixty-five people were contacted, 3,186 participated in the survey. Information on behavior to lower the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 was assessed by nine items (answer options yes/no). For each item, logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR), using education, sex, and age as main predictors and adjusting for partnership status and household composition. Results: People with lower educational level were less likely to avoid gatherings (OR = 0.63; 95%CI = 0.48–0.83), adapt their work situation (OR = 0.66; 95%CI = 0.52–0.82), reduce personal contacts and meetings (OR = 0.71; 95%CI = 0.55–0.93), or increase hand hygiene (OR = 0.53; 95%CI = 0.38–0.73). Being female was associated with higher odds of protective behavior for most outcomes. Exceptions were wearing face masks and adapting the own work situation. Associations between respondents' age and individual behavior change were inconsistent and mostly weak. Conclusion: Disease specific knowledge is essential in order to enable people to judge information on COVID-19. Health education programs aiming at improving COVID-19 knowledge are helpful to build up appropriate practices and reduce the spread of the disease. Strategies are needed to guarantee easy access and better dissemination of high-quality news and fact-checks. Socioeconomic characteristics should be taken into account in the development of infection control measures.
Schlagwörter:Gesundheitsverhalten; demographic factors; Bildungsungleichheit; Epidemie; epidemic; Verhaltensänderung; behavior modification; educational inequality; Federal Republic of Germany; social inequality; soziale Faktoren; demographische Faktoren; health behavior; soziale Ungleichheit; social factors; ZA5664 v35.0.0: GESIS Panel - Extended Edition; ZA5667 v1.1.0: GESIS Panel Special Survey on the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Germany; COVID-19; Corona; daily practice