Association for Women in Computing
Puget Sound Chapter

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A Day In the Life of A Professional Chinese Woman

The All-China Women’s Federation - (ACWF); Part III of III

By Sheryl Hall

Pictures of China: Exercising / Alley View / Biking / Carrying a Heavy Load / Street Market

The All-China Women's federation is a national organization with branches and members in nearly every city and province. Since as early as the 1980’s, the ACWF has deemed helping poor women out of poverty as its main task.

AWC’s first professional exchange was with the ACWF in Beijing on Monday, September 14, 1998. Throughout our trip, AWC members had the opportunity and pleasure, to meet with other ACWF members. We were all impressed by this organizations’ size, their mission, and the impact they are making in their society. Their challenges are great but their accomplishments are even greater!

As AWC members continued to meet with Chinese women, AWC members asked questions about equality and discrimination in China. Often we heard disagreement between the older generation and the younger women when referencing equality. The younger women expressed inequality concerns, while their elders voiced equality and opportunities for all. Undoubtedly, the younger women are now more influenced by western cultures today. Thus, their views and perspectives most likely are much different. My belief is that for many of the older generation, things probably are much better in their eyes, than in the not-so-long ago past.

The ACWF oversees government entities and if any issues arise, they will step in and help manage equality issues and other related issues such as labor issues. Recent issues facing all employees are government lay-offs due to downsizing. The ACWF is helping to retrain and relocate women losing their jobs.

We were enlightened that their purpose is to maintain and continue equality between men and women. Women from China are all working hard to gain self-confidence and working status, according to one ACWF member in Hefei, Anhui Province, China.

She proceeded to tell us that women within politics and management is growing much faster in China at this time. More and more women are gaining opportunities to have official positions. And, more and more of them are being selected to attend outside world meetings, seminars, etc. Many are sent to the USA to build relationships. At this time, there are still many more women than men working within department stores and services sector overall. In education, it is more equal than in any other area.

We were also told that the government is supporting and issuing regulations based on women’s issues, needs and concerns. In fact, we were informed that this has already been set in motion and thus more women can now make a difference, according to one of the older ACWF members.

Challenges ahead! Since they have already gained ground and achieved equality in politics, education, and in other areas, the new challenges are to continue to improve themselves and gain self-confidence. Many programs are in place and more on the way to help bring young women, poor women, and uneducated women around.

Additionally, older women continue to encourage the young women to move into Science and Technology. However, they also respect these younger women’s own interests otherwise, their belief is that they will not do well any how. In other words, the young women are given the chance to select what they want to do now.

Now days, many women are becoming entrepreneurs and starting to own their own businesses and shops. The field of commerce is growing and women seem to be at the forefront. Perhaps this new generation is shifting from the Sciences and Technologies to entrepreneurs.

Statistics from the Institute of Plasma Physics Academy of Sciences in Hefei, Anhui Province, China.

Total Male and Female Total Female Female % of Total
Total Faculty: 561 148 26%
Science and Technology Faculty: 390 101 28%
Assistant and Engineer: 136 42 31%
Assistant Professor: 111 26 23%
Professor: 28 4 14%
Master Degree Faculty: 47 5 11%
Master Students: 70 17 24%
Doctor Degree Faculty: 26 1 4%
Doctor Student: 57 6 11%
Associate Section Chief: 8 3 38%
E-Mail Addresses (Free): 250 73 29%
E-Mail Addresses (Pay - home): 8 3 38%

ACWF is very strong in China. They will continue to grow, collect donations and support the women in China. They currently have an aggressive five-year goal and ACW federations at all levels are required to lay emphasis on the following tasks:

  • Designate places or households for contacts in poverty alleviation campaign continuously.
  • Implement women-oriented poverty alleviation projects by using capable women or successful households as key elements to lead others for multiplier purposes.
  • Train the WF cadres of 592 poverty counties newly designated by the State Council and
  • Carry out successively the hand-in-hand advancement of achieving better-off livelihood for all through strengthening mutual aid between the better-developed and the under-developed so as to help another 1 million women out of poor status by the end of this century.


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