New Gender Dynamics in Post-Reform China: Family, Education, and Labor Market

Abstract

This introduction paper briefly discusses the five empirical paper and the theoretical theme that organize these papers for the special issue of “New Gender Dynamics in Post-reform China.” We introduce theoretically informed empirical research conducted by a young generation of family and gender scholars. Guided by the critiques over the separation and interaction between the public and private spheres occurring during China’s transition from a socialist economy to a market economy, they examine married women’s well-being, their decision-making regarding fertility, the gendered patterns of children’s household chores, female college students `transition from college to the job market, and rural migrant women’s paid domestic work in the city. Through the empirical research, the collection of articles aims to provide new evidence and enhance theoretical knowledge to further enrich our understanding of the complexities and dynamics of changing gender inequalities in the public and private spheres within Chinese society.