De-intensification and the Feminization of Farming in China1

Abstract

The Household Responsibility System (HRS) initiated in China in 1978 has brought about profound changes in gender roles and relations. This study examines the impact of land management patterns on women’s condition and position and the consequent changes in gender relations. The collective farming facilities of earlier times are now in disarray. Farming has become the primary occupation for women, particularly married women, while men look for better-paid jobs outside rural agriculture. The deteriorating condition of agricultural facilities is therefore impacting mainly women, who are bound to look after the land for family subsistence and security though there is little earning from it. At the same time, patriarchal norms are gaining a firm foothold. The preference for male children is becoming stronger as the rural system disintegrates and there are increasing intrahousehold conflicts. Women’s status is increasingly becoming incumbent on the husband’s property while they, in their own right, have little or no control over land.