<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/10/chengdu-female-only-spaces-china-women-feminist-revival>
"In a small, unassuming bookstore in south-west China, a discreet community of
women dream of a more equal future. Here in Chengdu, 42-year-old Shen Shen runs
one of the country’s leading feminist bookstores.
“The world doesn’t lack bookstores for men,” she says, surrounded by piles of
volumes by authors including Judith Butler, Simone de Beauvoir and Chizuko
Ueno.
But Shen Shen must tread carefully. Although “feminist” is not quite a dirty
word in China, “gender antagonism” – behaviour or speech that could be seen as
stoking division between men and women – is.
Being a woman in China is getting harder. The rising tide of a booming economy
once lifted up people from all parts of society, revolutionising lives –
women’s included. Now, an economic slowdown and Chinese leadership that
promotes a return to traditional family values are testing female liberation.
Women today are more educated than ever before, yet less likely to be in the
workforce. The female labour participation rate has fallen by more than 20%
since 1990, as state-sponsored childcare has closed down and caring
responsibilities for an ageing population have grown.
At the same time, authorities have become increasingly alarmed by women who
shun traditional gender roles – whether that is by refusing to get married or
by speaking out against sexism. Feminist social media accounts are regularly
shut down by China’s internet censors because of complaints they have incited
“gender antagonism”.
In a four-part series, the
Guardian is analysing the changing status of women
across Chinese society. The series examines how in different aspects of their
lives they are responding to government restrictions and shifting social and
economic conditions. Some are turning to overt activism to champion women’s
rights, despite such behaviour being all but banned by the authorities. Others
are resisting pressure to marry and have children, or forging careers outside
traditional boundaries.
In the face of an increasingly restrictive political atmosphere, Chinese women
are charting their own paths, defying societal pressure to live according to a
fixed, Communist party-approved blueprint."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
