Women in China vs. Women in the US

"It is the first law in China specifically enacted to safeguard women's legitimate rights and interests, to promote equality between men and women and to enable women to play an active role in society, and millions of women have benefited from it," (Prof. Wu Changzhen) Here is Prof. Wu Changzhen speaking of woman’s rights. Below I have found some great information on how Chinese Woman are protected and treated in China. From that information I have researched how women in the US are treated and I would like to compare the two. There is such a great difference and it is sad that in some of these cases woman are not treated the same. You will see the inequality is evident.

Key:

China Rules-Red

US Rules/Law/My Imput-Blue

Women

Violence Against Women: According to some researchers, spousal abuse is far too common and, in many parts of the country, still socially acceptable. However, comprehensive statistics about the extent of domestic violence are not available or have not been made public. The official All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) has been studying this problem and seeking solutions.

Few battered women have the opportunity to escape abuse, because shelters and other resources are not available. Women are under considerable social pressure to keep families together regardless of the circumstances. Legal action is not taken against batterers unless the victim initiates it, and if she withdraws her testimony, the proceedings are ended.

In the US:

This is very different then in the US. In the US there are safe homes all around the country that will take any woman and children into their group home. Take a look at the following options that women in the United States have:

Women In Need provides two types of housing to homeless families: transitional shelters and permanent supported apartments with locations in Manhattan, Bronx and Brooklyn. Working with community groups and public agencies, the private sector and nonprofit organizations, WIN operates seven transitional residences with 643 family units where 2,500 people including more than 1,500 children sleep each night.

Transitional Housing

Alexander Abraham Residence Specially suited for small families	31 family units
Cosmetic Executive Women Residence Focuses on housing women engaged in substance abuse treatment	16 family units
Jennie A. Clarke Residence Operated in cooperation with Hope Community, Inc.	73 family units
Junius Family Residence WIN's newest and largest shelter	216 family units
Lehman Brothers Residence Families live in a shared living arrangement	27 family units
Lex-Bronx Residence Providing social services to hotel residents	32 family units
The Liberty Residence - *newest* Specially suited for large families	203 family units
Monica Apartment Program "Shelter without walls"	45 family units

Permanent Supportive Housing
WIN operates one permanent housing facility with eight units, and 164 permanent scattered site apartments in the Bronx and Brooklyn for special populations of women who are survivors of domestic violence, are aged out of the foster care system, or are former substance abusers in recovery.

Shelter Plus Care
Scattered site units Triangle House - A sober community for women who are in recovery	17 family units 8 family units
SHINE (Safe Housing In a New Environment) Scattered site housing for women are survivors of domestic violence	62 family units
WISH (Women In Supported Housing) Scattered site housing for former foster care clients	62 family units

Abduction and Trafficking of Women: Trafficking and sale of women as brides or into prostitution is a serious problem in certain parts of China, and Chinese women have been sold into brothels in Southeast Asia. The PRC government has enacted various laws to combat the sale of women, but the statistics released by the government do not reliably indicate the scale of the problem. PRC officials stated that there were 15,000 cases of kidnapping and trafficking in women and children in 1993. Yet according to one estimate, 10,000 women were abducted and sold in 1992 in Sichuan Province alone.

Until recently, the authorities have not prosecuted men who purchase women as wives; thus, the trade has continued unabated. Official action to rescue victims of trafficking is generally initiated only if a complaint is made by the woman or her family. Local officials often turn a blind eye, even formally registering marriages into which the woman has been sold.

In the US:

The US Government defines trafficking as, “"(a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or (b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.”

Some might not think that here in the US women are sold into the sex trade market but it is true. It is easier for us to blame other countries for not being responsible but it happens here in our own backyard. In the US if you are found guilty of trafficking you will be prosecuted.

It is good to know that both of these countries are fighting for this terrible crime to stop. In recent time the Chinese Government has taken a stronger hand in this matter and making it stop. In the US they have also done the same thing. The problem is, a lot of these woman traffic crime falls below the radar and the government does not know until it is too late.

Discrimination in Employment and Education: The PRC ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1980 and enacted the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests in 1992. However, open discrimination against women in China has continued to grow during the period of reform of the last 15 years.

According to PRC government surveys, women's salaries have been found to average 77% of men's, and most women employed in industry work in low-skill and low-paying jobs. An estimated 70 to 80% of workers laid off as a result of downsizing in factories have been women, and, although women make up 38% of the work force, they are 60% of the unemployed. At job fairs, employers openly advertise positions for men only, and university campus recruiters often state that they will not hire women. Employers justify such discrimination by saying that they cannot afford the benefits they are required to provide for pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants.

The proportion of women to men declines at each educational tier, with women comprising some 25% of undergraduates in universities. Institutions of higher education that have a large proportion of female applicants, such as foreign language institutes, have been known to require higher entrance exam grades from women.

Although China has a law mandating compulsory primary education, increasing numbers of rural girls are not being sent to school. Rural parents often do not want to "waste" money on school fees for girls who will "belong" to another family when they marry. According to official statistics, about 70% of illiterates in China are female.

In the US:

In the US for the past couple decade’s women are getting more and more rights in the workplace. There was a time when men and woman were not equal but thanks to the government and strong powerful women fighting for equality we in the US have a set of laws that protect women. We have laws that protect women in all areas that might affect them in the workplace. Let’s take a look at what protects us women in the US workplace.

Here are a few examples of laws that are set that protect women in the workplace:

1.) Family and Medical Leave

2.) Sexual Harassment

3.) Affirmative Action

4.) Equal Pay

5.) Women in the Military

Violations Against Female Children: The one-child policy, in conjunction with the traditional preference for male children, has led to a resurgence of practices like female infanticide, concealment of female births and abandonment of female infants. Female children whose births are not registered do not have any legal existence and therefore may have difficulty going to school or receiving medical care or other state services. The overwhelming majority of children in orphanages are female and/or mentally or physically handicapped.

The one-child policy has also contributed to the practice of prenatal sex identification resulting in the abortion of female fetuses. Although the government has outlawed the use of ultrasound machines for this purpose, physicians continue the practice, especially in rural areas. Thus, while the average worldwide ratio of male to female newborns is 105/100, Chinese government statistics show that the ratio in the PRC is 114/100 and may be higher in some areas.

In the US:

This kind of behavior does not happen in the US. We do not have a one child policy and I could never see having it. Laws and behaviors is what makes each country so different from the next. What do you think would have in the US if the government enforced a law telling you what sex and how many children you could have? There would be full on rage don’t you think? But in China it is different people live with the law.

We can draw a lot of conclusions from the above information. We know that in China women are treated unequal however with time the government is making a point to change that. They are trying to make women equal to men which are extremely important. We also looked at how women were treated in the US. In some cases they were treated better, nah, they have better options. In the US women (in some cases) are treated the same as Chinese women however our government protects them with laws, safe home, and outlets to express their emotions. I hope that one day soon the Chinese women will have these outlets and begin to feel equal. How can a country grow and prosper if half of its citizens are repressed?