#181 Her Economy in China 中国的女性经济

Hello everyone! Welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!

Recently, I’ve been wanting to get a haircut and have been looking for a good salon. Then, I came across a very special hair salon where all the stylists are women. In China, most hairstylists are men, and many female customers often complain, “It’s so hard to communicate with male stylists. It feels like they just don’t understand what I’m saying!” Now, some cities have started to open women-only salons. These days, many people are discussing the “she-economy,” which refers to the female economy. How is the female economy doing in China? Today, let’s chat about it!

This year, on Mother’s Day, a laundry detergent brand released an advert. The advert said, “Make it more comfortable for Mum to do the laundry.” After seeing the advert, netizens were furious, especially the women. Some people said, “Why does it have to be Mum doing the laundry? Can’t Dad help?” Others said, “It’s Mother’s Day, and you’re still expecting Mum to do the laundry? Are you mad?” “Are you mad” is a phrase in Chinese that’s used as an insult, meaning “Are you crazy?” In the end, the detergent company had to apologise on social media, saying they were sorry. In recent years, more and more women in China have become aware of these issues. Becoming aware means they’ve become more independent and are demanding fairness.

Besides women’s hair salons, there have also been women-only hotels and guesthouses popping up recently. According to a survey, in China, more and more women are travelling alone. There’s a well-known town in Yunnan, China, called Lijiang. Every year, many tourists visit Lijiang. In recent years, more and more women have been travelling to Lijiang alone. Now, there’s a women-only guesthouse in Lijiang, where only women can stay, and the owner and staff are all women too. This guesthouse provides many things women need, and the women staying there feel safer. The owner of the guesthouse said:

“I think many women are now choosing to take a step forward, to be independent. Maybe they want to take control of their own lives. If today the female market can rise, then just think, as women, our future is limitless.”

The owner mentioned that many women now choose independence and want to take control of their own lives. “Take control” means to be able to manage something. To take control of one’s life means that this is my life, and I can do whatever I want without worrying about what others think. The female market refers to the market for women. “Rise” means it’s growing bigger and better. The owner also said that women’s futures are limitless. “Limitless” means no one knows what the future will bring or how amazing it could be.

Although the female market is rising in China, and more women can take control of their own lives, there are still many unfair things. For example, many people still believe that women should do the housework. In most jobs, men’s wages are still higher than women’s. Do you think China will achieve gender equality in the future? Is there gender equality in your country? Feel free to leave us a comment and share your thoughts!