Executive Women and Glass Ceiling in China

Abstract

The status of women in China has moved from two millennia of Confucian culture and patriarchy when the gap between two genders was seen as huge, via the Communist regime to promote equity and eliminate social difference, to the current era of market mechanism.

The chapter argues that although the economic and social status of women continues to rise in China, the gap in career opportunities available for men and women shows little sign of narrowing, and the glass ceiling for women appears to be firmly in place in the twenty-first century. Both primary and secondary data sources are utilized to describe the current position of women in business management, a privileged class compared to other women in the workforce. Survey data was collected from 406 managers, both women and men undertaking MBA studies in Guangzhou in southern China from 2002 to 2016. Data on interview and focus group discussions with a sample of 85 Chinese women business managers was also included.

The research attempts to apply gender theory to the current working day reality of managers in China. After focusing on women’s opinions and experience in the interview and focus group study, the research included the experience and organizational issues of male managers to minimize any potential bias and maximize validity and reliability. Strategies developed through interview and focus group data to advance women’s equity in employment in China are explored.