New outlets of digital feminist activism in China: the #SeeFemaleWorkers campaign

Abstract

This article examines the #SeeFemaleWorkers campaign in China, which has been one of the most influential digital feminist movements in recent years despite the patriarchal and repressive political environment in the country. The campaign not only achieved its initial goal of raising the media visibility of female health workers fighting the pandemic, but also drew public attention to the unseen contributions of female workers in all walks of life. By analysing the narrative themes and frequency of the randomly selected original posts, this study identified thematic categories to conceptualise themes of participation. Subsequently, we suggest that the intersectional nature of the campaign was an important factor in its success as it enabled women from different backgrounds to come together and discuss discrimination in the workplace. We also found that the campaign managed to evade misogynistic antagonism by avoiding polarising labels. Finally, we suggest that the reuse of socially established hashtags can be beneficial for conducting follow-up activities and sustaining the influence of the original campaign. However, the study also highlights the potential risks posed by censorship and surveillance in China, which can hinder the development and success of digital feminist activism.