In the PRD, where, to put it plainly, tradition values boys above girls, women still hold up far less than half the sky.

This year, the All-China Women’s Federation teamed up with the Guangdong Statistics Bureau on March 1 to jointly publish the results of research into the contemporary social status of women, results which show that women are generally situated within a lower employment structure, leave the labor market earlier, and earn 40% less than men do.

Happy Women’s Day, ladies.

Education Level

The research shows that women’s education levels continue to rise, and that the younger of those surveyed enjoyed incrementally more equal employment opportunities.

One surprising result was that the portion of Guangdong women under 30 with a college degree or above has reached 32.9%, 2.3 percentage points more than that of men. Moreover, 10.9% of females possess professional or technical qualifications recognized by government, 2.4 times higher than the same figure in 2000.

Women have also become more aware of the importance of lifelong learning, as 46.8% of those who obtained post-secondary education credentials choose to pursue and acquire a higher degree through continuing education.

Political Status

However, while women have become more active and participate more in the workplace, they still face huge barriers preventing them from becoming decision-makers or part of management structures at work. The research suggests that the percentage of women in a management or leadership position remains at an abysmally low 12.4%.

Financial Position

Although shrinking, the income gap between genders has women earning an annual average income of 17,516 RMB, just over three times what women earned a decade ago but 60% of what men currently earn. The average PRD woman also owns less family property than the average man, with the percentage of women who own real estate at just 38.2%.