Independence an innate quality

2011-12-12 10:34 The Spy - News (spionen in english)

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Equal difference. Exchangestudent Yao Fu reflects on diffrences between men and women in Sweden and China. Photo: Karina Fitzgerald

Walking in the Streets, I am constantly amazed by these scenes that might seem most common to Swedish people: a five-month pregnant woman on a bicycle whooshing by; a young mother walking quickly with a book bag on her back, a baby kid in her right arm; two lovers taking a stroll shoulder to shoulder, with the same firmness in their footsteps.

The author Yao Fu reflects on gender equality in Sweden and China. Photo: Michelle D (www.michelled.nl)

In China, as well as in some other Asian countries, these scenes are rarely seen, because tradition dictates that pregnant women need to be taken special care of by family members or their nanny, as they are considered to be so vulnerable that strenuous exercises are not to be thought of; after giving birth, women have to stay indoors for at least a month, for fear of getting a chill or other illnesses, which could leave traumatic effects on their health.
I somehow still consider it true. In most cases in the streets, you see the man putting an arm around his girlfriend's neck or waist, carrying her handbags as to show consideration or gallantry, which I also find quite funny and unnecessary. In fact, more and more Chinese girls travel alone as backpackers. The weight of the bag is certainly not the question.

Important career

What's more, in Gothenburg, whether in a shopping mall, a hairdressing salon or a Systembolaget store, I find equal numbers of customers of both sexes. They seem to be consuming the same amount of tobacco, alcohol, and beauty products. Indeed, beauty is not a trait exclusively reserved for women, but for men to pursue as well; besides, it's enjoyable to watch pretty men walking down the streets. I regard it as the core value of achieving gender equality that qualifiers for one particular gender get emancipated from their limited scope.

In Sweden, achieving career success has long been considered important to both men and women. They are equally confident and self assured, well aware of their stand, voicing out their opinions without much struggle. In China nowadays, two genders are equal in terms of education and economic participation, but not in terms of social and political leadership. Half among world's most successful business women are Chinese, but they just take up a tiny percent of total female population.

Desperation

When talking about marriage, a Swedish female student tells me that she doesn't care so much about getting married as about finding a decent job, because it's no longer the case that marrying well ends well. Many female students in China think so too, but unfortunately, staying unmarried is not much of an option for them.

There's a huge contrast between the mindset of our generation and our parents' generation. Young people get bombarded with urges from family and society until they finally succumb to marriage. Single women over 28 years old (or younger) are classified as "leftover". You can sense the desperation there.

This being said, however, I still hold a positive outlook for China to keep narrowing down the gender gap, because it's for the sake of both genders, and for the growing economy that needs young talent of both genders. There is already some improvement in the "sitting month" tradition. One day women in China could walk with audacious strides and composure in their faces too. I hope that day comes soon.

Text: Yao Fu

Photo: Michelle D (www.michelled.nl) and Karina Fitzgerald

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