According to this alarming (EN: ?) report, 51% of senior management positions in mainland China are held by women. This places China at the very top, miles ahead of the 24% global average rate.

When I spot the UK’s relative position in this report, I am astounded. Not only do we lag significantly behind China, with a mere 19% of senior management positions held by women – we also feature in the bottom ten. And it gets worse – we are alarmingly close in the rankings to India; a country where discrimination against women is deep-rooted and widely prevalent.

I am both intrigued and disturbed by this report. What is China doing to support the progression of women that we aren’t?

One commonly cited school of thought evolves from the political and social context of China. The emancipation of women has been a longstanding political issue in China; particularly since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. Since then, the communist parenthesis has strongly encouraged the employment of women outside the home.

As a result, China was one of the first countries to ratify the UN International Convention on the elimination of discrimination against women. It was one of the first countries to implement legislation specifically for the interests of women. It was after such laws came into force that women began to seek employment in state owned enterprises and corporations.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at

via China: setting the new standard for women in top jobs? | Women in Leadership | Guardian Professional.

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