C.C. 3.2

All good things come to those who wait. Well, in China, women have been waiting to climb the ladder for a very long time, and are slowly making their way in society. In the article, "The Sky is the Limit," the Economist describes the ups and downs about being a woman in China.

When people in America have children, they do not really think about how many they want. They just kind of go with the flow. Numbers of births range from 1 to 20. That is not exactly the case in the Chinese society. In the article, the economist states that women still have to abide by the "one-child policy." For me that would be horrendous. I cannot imagine just having one child and stopping. They say the policy is "quite leaky," but I still would want to decide how many children I could have without the government telling me what to do.

Although the number of women who work in China have slowly grown, there is still discrimination in the workplace. Towards the middle of the article, the economist describes a woman who works for a large oil company, and says that she "complains that women suffer from discrimination both in her company and her industry." I am sure there is still discrimination in the American workforce, but we have laws that prohibit that kind of judgement; China does not. I do no think that I could ever work in a place where people put me down all the time because of my gender. Chinese women must be dedicated.

We all have traditions and values that are passed down through our families, but some people will just not let old values go. For instance, in the article the economist describes, "...most Chinese men still expect them to look after a home and family more or less single-handed, whether or not they are holding down a job...These are deep-rooted, hard-to-shift attitudes that long pre-date the Mao era." I understand where the men are coming from, but can't they help their wives out too? I mean, if they are both working, then I think they should both pick up the slack at home. I guess some habits die hard.

This reminds me of a time long ago when women in America had no rights, were expected to stay at home, and be the little doting mother. Hopefullly, women in China will soon have the freedom that we are all blessed with today.

Improvements are being made, and it will take some time. Chinese women are so dedicated that I am sure in the near future they will have reached the top of the ladder.