Employment of American Women Since the 1960s and Modern Day Implications for Chinese Women - Research Paper Example

Making the transition to a market-based economy, Chinese society is now more openly embracing females as valuable contributors to the workforce. At the same time, this social reform movement has been met with some degree of cultural resistance as long-held Chinese tradition places a much more pronounced favor on males. As a result, it is helpful to compare the employment rights movement taking place in China today with the struggles that women have overcome in America since the 1960s. This will provide hope for the future and a direction and course to take as China continues its efforts to provide more equal protection and employment opportunities for women throughout the country.

Since the dawn of modern civilization, it seems, women have struggled to maintain an equal footing with their male counterparts. Perhaps no place else in society can this be illustrated than by considering the reality and the struggles that women worldwide face when trying to secure gainful employment. While progress is certainly being made in this area in many regions of the world, the struggle has been fierce and quite slow in coming. Consider the reality that wages for women amount to only 41% of the worldwide total and that women are often relegated to the most menial of positions1.

This stark reality is not just the plight of women in third world nations, as the United States and China are two of the most economically developed countries in the world, yet women still struggle to find meaningful and sustainable employment. In fact, America has come a long way in this regard since the 1960s, yet many of the struggles that they have overcome are now being showcased in China. It is important to understand the unique gender-related issues affecting employment in these two great countries, analyze their impact on society, and move forward towards a more progressive and equal global community2.

America is quite an interesting country to study in terms of this issue primarily because, prior to the 1960s, females found it difficult to gain a solid footing within the workforce.