The Contradictory Aspects of Women Cadres' State of Mind and Social Adjustments

Abstract

In the thirty-odd years since Liberation, the ranks of women cadres in China have grown to a considerable size. Working at posts all over the country, women cadres in leadership positions and those of the rank and file have increased from 345,000 in 1951 to 5,300,000 in 1983. Nevertheless, the strength of women cadres assuming leading posts in party and administrative organizations is comparatively weaker than that of women professionals in other fields. Statistics of the third national census taken in 1982 show that the number of employed women amounts to 43.70 percent of total employment. Among them there are 1,930,000 female science and engineering personnel, making up 31.6 percent of the total population of scientific and technological circles. In undertakings of culture and education, female employees account for 35.34 percent of the total. More than half of the medical and health personnel are females, and over 60 percent in light and textile industries. However, in party and administrative organs m...