Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Swinging open or slamming shut? The implications of China's open-door policy for women, educational choice and work.

Turner, Yvonne

Authors

Yvonne Turner



Abstract

This paper explores the link between international tertiary education and evolving attitudes about women and work in China. The paper reviews literature about gender and education in China, commenting on the late-twentieth-century post-reform environment. It goes on to present illustrative primary research material from two studies carried out between 1999 and 2004 with students studying for UK Business degrees in China and the UK. The research data is presented as extracts from oral histories, where participants discuss education and attitudes about work, gender and identity. The main conclusions are that women in post-reform China have been educationally and socially disadvantaged compared to men; traditional gender attitudes about women, work and education persist in contemporary China; women are seeking opportunities in international higher education to overcome domestic prejudices; and degree-educated professional women may be developing as a new social class in contemporary Chinese society.

Citation

TURNER, Y. 2006. Swinging open or slamming shut? The implications of China's open-door policy for women, educational choice and work. Journal of education and work [online], 19(1), pages 47-65. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080500522986

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 15, 2006
Online Publication Date Feb 15, 2006
Publication Date Feb 15, 2006
Deposit Date Aug 10, 2009
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of education and work
Print ISSN 1363-9080
Electronic ISSN 1469-9435
Publisher Taylor and Francis
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 19
Issue 1
Pages 47-65
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080500522986
Keywords China; Equality; Higher education; Women; Work
Public URL http://hdl.handle.net/10059/391

Files




Downloadable Citations