As many in my direct circle know, I read quite some news. I try to mention at least once per day that I read something in the news, casually, in a conversation. And since commentary and reviewing is something else I like to do, I thought of starting a series where I write my thoughts about an article I read. A lot of them will be related to China, since that is one of the topics I follow most closely.

China’s Male Leaders Signal to Women That Their Place Is in the Home

New York Times

Being a Chinese woman has never seemed easy to me. When I lived in China, I got a taste of it in some situations and it does feel like the attitude switches between extremes and also clear age shifts.

Reading that there is more emphasis from senior Chinese leadership on women’s roles in the family seems to me similar to the movement of the ‘tradwives’. It feels in many places there is a wish for stable, clear roles that make you feel like life is a little less complicated. At the same time, the Chinese characteristics are clear in that there is a distinct top-down dynamic. Of course leadership is in the front seat when they want to ensure that everyone aims for the right direction.

At the same time, I think it is often overblown how much the leadership influences these kinds of developments. We see that Chinese women have become more and more independent, even subverting expectations about birth preference in some cases.

And even though it may seem the party is actively steering people, it is definitely not a one-on-one influence. Sure, I also got questions if my parents were not apalled at the fact that I do not want children, and I got my fair share of comments that I should not be single in my late twenties. At the same time, Chinese people are resourceful and practical. If you are an intelligent and capable woman, you will generally have opportunities to capitalize on that. So it will be interesting to see if this government stance will develop into something more tangible like an actual campaign or if it just remains a message for the general public to hear.