The academic lecture themed “The Chinese Women and Economy from Gender Mainstreaming Perspective” was held by School of International Education on Nov. 7th, 2017. The lecture was given by Ms. Feng Yuan, the co-sponsors of Wei Ping Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Organization. 2017 Mofcom Foreign Aid Degree Program students of China Women’s University attended the lecture. The lecture introduced the important role Chinese women played in the development of Chinese economy and various difficulties Chinese women met.
Firstly, Ms. Feng Yuan asked everyone a question of whether the countries in the world achieved the goal of gender equality. The question was to make everyone have a sense of the current situation of the world’s gender equality. She then introduced women’s series of contributions to the economic development from the perspectives of labor force, female executives and businesswomen. She also talked about the gender composition in economic activities, wage income, capital ownership, social security, management and economic policies. Later, she showed China’s series of efforts made for gender equality from a country’s perspective, including the establishment of women’s cooperative organizations and the implementation of special regulations on labor protection for female workers. Ms. Feng Yuan also pointed out three aspects of dilemma faced by women in employment and salary, including the gender gap of labor force and salary, and the situation that Chinese women couldn’t achieve economic empowerment through education.
During the lecture, the students discussed many questions, including what factors affect women’s opportunity of participating in economy, and how to narrow down the gender gap and so on. The students deepened their understanding of women and development of economy through discussions and idea sharing. The lecture not only help the student broaden their knowledge, but also help with their theoretical study.
Feng Yuan, the co-sponsor of Wei Ping Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Organization, the founding director and now a guest professor of women’s center of faculty of arts of Shantou University. She has rich experiences in communicating with grass roots, local NGOs, UN and international women organizations.
