Closing the Gender Education Gap: How Industrialization Improves the Position of Women in Rural China

Abstract

In much of rural China, traditional neo-Confucian gender ideologies limit women to domestic work with less household decision-making power and financial independence than their male counterparts. Industrialization in China has transformed work in these rural households; the consequential evolution of the gendered division of labor significantly impacts female education rates. This paper examines the historical and contemporary effect of industrialization on the ability of women in rural China to attain an education and, consequently, the overall gender education gap in China. This paper concludes that the gender education gap will continue to close as the industrial sector expands in China. It proposes policies to minimize institutional bias, challenge the gendered division of labor, and improve rural families' socioeconomic standings. As such, this paper contributes to a broader understanding of how technological development impacts gender equality in education.