Gendered childhoods: Remaking family and work inequalities in post-socialist China

In this talk, Professor Yang Hu presents theoretical developments and large-scale evidence from his decade-long research on gendered intergenerational relations and the reproduction of family and work inequalities.

Post-socialist China has seen a sharp resurgence of gender inequality in people’s family and work lives. Chiming with a global trend, Chinese women surpassed men in education. Yet, women’s labour force participation rate dropped. Occupational gender segregation persists. Women still shoulder the lion’s share of domestic and care responsibilities. Gender discrimination has become increasingly overt. Once a glorified epitome of state-enforced gender equality, the status quo looks dystopian. 

What does the future hold for the prospect of gender equality in China? To answer this question, we must look to the next generation and examine how Chinese children are brought up. How do they learn to perform (future) family and work roles? How do they envision their future work and family lives? What does it take to fulfil their work and family aspirations? Why are some dreams broken and gender equality unrealised?

In this talk, Professor Yang Hu presents theoretical developments and large-scale evidence from his decade-long research on gendered intergenerational relations and the reproduction of family and work inequalities. The talk examines gendered childhoods across the domains of home, school, and (future) work, as well as the interconnections and disjuncture between these domains throughout Chinese children’s life courses. Professor Hu proposes family-work-school “institutional triple bind” and “life-course inconsistency” as crucial lenses for understanding gendered childhoods and the future of family and work gender inequalities in China.