A famous Mao quote is "Women hold up half the sky'. Of course, the realities of gender equality have not made it nearly as far as Mao's quote, but I can testify that, compared to a couple decades ago, women are represented in the Party, in business, and in education to an extent previously unimaginable. So, compared to 100 years ago (the Party is 100 years old), women are vastly more empowered (but still 2nd class citizens in all sorts of ways). And, still no women in the upper ranks of the Party, though, let alone the Standing Committee and Politiboro.
For me, grounded academically in the political history of the momentous changes in China under the Maoist regime, this report and your analysis was doubly fascinating.
I live in West Hubei most of the time, and can testify to the utterly astounding development the Chinese gov't. has brought to rural areas. 10 years ago, roads to my bro in laws farm was washed out several times a year, there were no decent bridges, no high speed rail, no airports, no nothing. Now, remote villages have paved roads, wastewater treatment facilities, bridges across previously impassable gorges, entire villages electrified with solar arrays, and the list could go on for several pages. There's a reason every house in the country has a poster of Mao in the "LR". The last few years, the Mao shrines are still in everyone's houses, but now there's a head shot of Xi, always on Mao's right, because Mao is always facing left.
I wonder what the Chinese government's policy on gender equality was. Empowering women is often noted as an important factor in economic development.
A famous Mao quote is "Women hold up half the sky'. Of course, the realities of gender equality have not made it nearly as far as Mao's quote, but I can testify that, compared to a couple decades ago, women are represented in the Party, in business, and in education to an extent previously unimaginable. So, compared to 100 years ago (the Party is 100 years old), women are vastly more empowered (but still 2nd class citizens in all sorts of ways). And, still no women in the upper ranks of the Party, though, let alone the Standing Committee and Politiboro.
For me, grounded academically in the political history of the momentous changes in China under the Maoist regime, this report and your analysis was doubly fascinating.
I live in West Hubei most of the time, and can testify to the utterly astounding development the Chinese gov't. has brought to rural areas. 10 years ago, roads to my bro in laws farm was washed out several times a year, there were no decent bridges, no high speed rail, no airports, no nothing. Now, remote villages have paved roads, wastewater treatment facilities, bridges across previously impassable gorges, entire villages electrified with solar arrays, and the list could go on for several pages. There's a reason every house in the country has a poster of Mao in the "LR". The last few years, the Mao shrines are still in everyone's houses, but now there's a head shot of Xi, always on Mao's right, because Mao is always facing left.