What are the Causes of Gender Inequality in Education in China?

Abstract

Inequality in education occurs in many countries and regions, and it has not been addressed strongly and effectively. In China, education faces many challenges, particularly in relation to gender inequality. Firstly, the article analyses and summarises the current state of gender inequality, pointing out that women in China have significantly fewer years of education than men, and that the contrast between urban and rural areas of China is more pronounced. Secondly, the paper will also find that women have lower enrolment rates and less access to further education, both at the compulsory primary level and at the tertiary level. Thirdly, the article will try to explore three potential causes of this phenomenon in light of the existing inequalities in China. The potential causes of these inequalities are explored in depth from the influence of the Confucian culture's notion of male superiority over females found in historical and cultural contexts, from family factors such as parents' perceptions of educational investment and family composition structures that exert an unequal effect on girls' education, and from age and educational attainment biases against women found in traditional Chinese concepts of marriage, respectively. The issue of gender inequality in education needs to be given attention and the potential influencing factors need to be analysed, especially with regard to the unfair treatment of female education.