With her mother acting as go-between, Ms Zhu, a third-year
student in the philosophy department of Beijing Normal University,
dated four different men over the summer holiday alone in hopes of
finding her Mr Right.
"It is not easy to find a good job these days," said Ms Zhu, "so
maybe it is better to find an established man and marry as soon as
possible."
However, Xiao Wei, a 35-year-old woman from Beijing, thinks
differently. Xiao, who worked in an overseas-financed company for
10 years, has been a full-time housewife for the past three
years.
"In the beginning, I felt very pleased to be at home rearing my
child without going to work, but as time goes by, I feel my
everyday life is a bit empty," said Xiao. "Women should have their
own careers."
Zhu and Xiao are not alone in questioning whether good husbands
are worth more than good jobs, a question brought to the forefront
again with the discussion of women's issues at the just-closed
Ninth Chinese Women's National Congress.
A sample survey of women's positions in society, carried out
among 19,000 people by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and
the National Bureau of Statistics in 2001, indicated that 34.1 per
cent of the respondents held the opinion that "good husbands are
better than good jobs."
A man surnamed Wang, an office worker with the ACWF, said that
this accords with the point of view of most men.
"But none of my female colleagues agree. They are enterprising
and independent, and hope to find a balance between career and
family life," said Wang.
Wang Qi, general manager of the Qiyang Cultural Advertising Co
Ltd, from Southwest China's Sichuan Province, suggested a third
viewpoint, that good jobs and good husbands are of equal importance
to women.
"Since it is hard for women to find jobs at the present time,
some girls may first turn to marriage. But if women want to have
equal rights with their husbands instead of being dependent, they
must have their own careers," said the 32-year-old general
manager.
Wang Shuxian, formerly ACWF deputy chairwoman, admitted that
because of physiological factors and the traditional division of
labour, women face greater pressure and challenges than men in
finding employment. Therefore, she said, it's unfair to have women
doing the same jobs as men without getting the same pay.
The former women's affairs official believes that the mere fact
that the opinion "good husbands are better than good jobs" has been
discussed extensively in recent years, actually shows there has
been progress in Chinese society.
Before the founding of New China in 1949, there was absolutely
no such question, and women seldom had the chance to go out to work
and were fully dependent on their position in the family, said Wang
Shuxian.
(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2003)