Wow, in a blink of an eye, half of term 3 has passed. Personally I feel that through these CDE lessons that I have had over the five weeks, I have learnt a lot about the progress of both American and Chinese societies in terms of gender equality, political apathy and so on. I think that my friends have done a marvelous job in explaining the topics of gender equality, political apathy as well as how 2008 Obama's speech has revolutionized American politics.
Well, basically in China, I understand that it is rather unfair and unequal for the women in China, and it is really difficult for them to fight for equality due to the traditional Confucian male superiority. However, there are significant signs of improvement since the past.
Only 7% of the Chinese workforce in The PRC were women. Compared to now, where men and women have almost equal job opportunities, it is considered a major improvement. Now, women make up the foundation of production-line workers in China's private, export-oriented factories. Moreover, many women take up the job as nurses, teachers and journalists. However, there are still certain boundaries between men and women. Today, very little women have entered the government or positions of high power in the country. Also, they lie about their marital status as they fear the employer's rejection due to heavy commitments for the family.
Many of us may think that the USA is more liberalized than other countries. However, America face the problem of gender equality as well. Yes, there have been many steps taken to overcome the issue of gender equality, but there is still a slight marginalization between men and women. Men outnumber women at a rate of 73% vs. 27% in all sectors of employment for science and engineering as of 2009. No state has ever achieved federal or state judgeship gender equality. Women held only 23% of all federal judgeship and only 27% of state judgeship in the year 2010. Getting pregnant in America could even cost you a job. For many women, a choice between working under unhealthy conditions and not working practically the only choice they have, especially due to the rise in cost of living.
Although all these show that Chinese and American societies have gender equality as a giant obstacle, it is pleasing to see that more and more steps are taken to overcome this powerful force, and I think in the long run there will be a time whereby men and women are totally equal.
