This study explores how single professional women in Shanghai deal with the challenge of negotiating between intergenerational obligations and career development. Qualitative data was gathered from 12 semi-structured interviews conducted on urban single professional women in Shanghai. Through the analysis of cultural logic, social policy, state behavior and qualitative data, this thesis has incorporated a fruitful discussion on the interconnectedness between diverse perspectives and larger frameworks.
The Chinese party state has taken the initiative to exercise control over the nation’s population in order to align with family policy and goals for national development. As a result, the negatively loaded stereotype “leftover women” has deeply penetrated Chinese society where single, urban and educated Chinese women have been the main targets. From analyzing marriage trends in Shanghai, population specialists have concluded that individuals are moving away from the model of universal marriage. A recent growth of individualism in Chinese society has given rise to the desiring self.
A large generation of educated, independent and career-driven women have been born. China is the second largest economy and has experienced a surge of unprecedented growth since the establishment of the open-door policy in 1978, resulting in an average GDP growth rate of 9.6 percent per annum in the first two decades of reform. The open-door policy encouraged China to partake in foreign trade, opening its market to the rest of the world. China's economic reform was unique to that of the Soviet Union or other former-socialist countries in Eastern Europe as it was more pragmatic and politically stable. The reform process was not like a blueprint and instead it was, like Deng Xiaoping illustrated, like a person walking across the river by feeling the rocks in each step.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Specific Aim & Research Question
2. Background
2.1 Leftover Women & Why Shanghai?
2.2 Marriage Trends
2.3 Women and Work
3. Existing Research
3.1 Leftover Women & the Marriage Squeeze
3.2 Urban Daughters: Empowered or Restricted?
3.3 Filial Piety & Intergenerational Obligations
4. Theoretical framework:
4.1 Intergenerational Obligations & Filial Piety
4.2 Descending Familism
4.3 Surface China & Deep China
4.4 The Divided Self and the Desiring Self
5. Methodology
5.1 Research Design
5.2 Semi Structured Interviews
5.3 Data Collection & Sampling
5.4 Online & Offline
5.5 Data Analysis
5.6 Ethical Considerations
5.6.1 Asymmetrical Power Relations & Sensitivity
5.6.2 Personal Biases & Western Bias
5.7 Limitations
5.7.1 COVID-19
5.7.2 Ecological Validity
5.7.3 Participant Representativeness
5.7.4 Generalizations
6. Analysis/Findings/Results
6.1 Setting the scene
6.2 Obligations and Filial Piety
6.3 The Desiring Self
6.4 Why Are You Not Married Yet?
6.5 Online Dating and Marriage Markets
6.6 Social Policy & Singleton Daughters
7. Concluding Discussion
Research Objectives & Key Themes
This thesis examines how single professional women in Shanghai negotiate the contradictory demands of intergenerational familial obligations and personal career development in a rapidly changing socioeconomic landscape. The study investigates how these women balance modern individualistic aspirations with traditional expectations.
- The influence of Confucian values and filial piety on modern marriage expectations.
- The impact of state policies and media narratives ("leftover women") on female identity.
- The concept of the "desiring self" vs. the "collective self" in contemporary China.
- Strategies for managing parental pressure and negotiating autonomy.
- The role of socioeconomic independence and urban lifestyle in redefining familial relations.
Excerpt from the Book
6.2 Obligations and Filial Piety
One of the most central themes that came up was the theme of “expectations” when discussing topics related to the individuals and their parents. Although different types of expectations were considered, three reoccurring themes were expectations related to marriage, care and career development. A majority of interviewees, mainly those above the age of 25, brought up that marriage was a pressure they felt from their parents after they had graduated from university. Extending from this, the topic of care was an expectation that was related to marriage as parents urge their daughters to find a suitable husband to walk through life with them. Expectations in care also entailed being family-oriented, contributing to parental care and respecting the elderly - a moral logic that dominates Chinese society, stemming from Confucian values and ethics.
When discussing marital obligations, interviewees were found expressing one of the following: traditional filial piety, contemporary filial piety or no filial obligations. Traditional filial piety is defined as the moral code regulating intergenerational relations, as expressed by Eklund (2018), Bell (2010) and Croll (1995), while the contemporary form of filial piety refers to Yan’s (2016) illustration of a new filial piety, that is, “relinquishing unconditional obedience and submission from the junior to the senior generations, thus paving the way to intergenerational intimacy” (Yan, 2016, p. 244). Lastly, no filial obligations referred to the interviewees that did not express feeling any marital obligation from their parents.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides background on China’s economic reform, the rise of educated independent women, and introduces the research question regarding the negotiation of career and family obligations.
2. Background: Explores the societal context, including the "leftover women" stereotype, marriage trends in Shanghai, and the historical interplay between women and work.
3. Existing Research: Reviews scholarly literature on the marriage squeeze, the empowerment or restriction of urban daughters, and filial piety in modern China.
4. Theoretical framework:: Establishes theoretical lenses including intergenerational contracts, descending familism, the surface/deep China dichotomy, and the concept of the desiring/divided self.
5. Methodology: Details the qualitative research design, focusing on semi-structured interviews with 12 professional women in Shanghai, and addresses ethical considerations and study limitations.
6. Analysis/Findings/Results: Presents empirical findings on how interviewees experience and navigate parental expectations, filial piety, the desiring self, and government-led marriage initiatives.
7. Concluding Discussion: Synthesizes the findings, concluding that intergenerational negotiations are characterized by adaptive strategies that range from conforming to norms to individualistic resistance.
Keywords
Intergenerational obligations, filial piety, desiring self, career women, leftover women, demography, China, Shanghai, marriage squeeze, individualism, contemporary, gender norms, professional women, Confucianism, socioeconomic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The thesis explores the experiences of single professional women in Shanghai as they navigate the conflict between traditional intergenerational familial obligations and their personal career-driven goals.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the social construction of the "leftover woman" label, the resurgence of Confucian filial piety, the impact of the one-child policy, and the negotiation of individual desires within a collectivist society.
What is the research goal of this work?
The primary aim is to analyze the complex strategies professional women use to balance their individual autonomy and career ambitions with intense societal and familial pressure to conform to traditional marriage norms.
Which research methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a qualitative approach based on 12 semi-structured interviews conducted with professional women in Shanghai between January and February 2020, complemented by existing sociological theories.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body examines marriage trends, the theoretical framework of the "desiring self," the impact of state-led media and social policies, and personal case studies regarding marriage markets and parental expectation.
How are the key terms defined?
The thesis defines key sociological terms like "filial piety," "descending familism," "surface/deep China," and "the desiring self" as analytical tools to understand the shifting moral landscape of contemporary China.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic influence this study?
The pandemic necessitated a transition to a hybrid online/offline interview format and resulted in a shorter fieldwork duration, which the author transparently addresses as a limitation for the study's scope.
What is the "total bundle theory" mentioned by participants?
It refers to the hypergamous desire of educated women to find a partner who possesses a "total bundle" of traits, including financial stability, higher education, and social status, often making the partner search difficult.
How do participants relate to the term "leftover women"?
While the label is used by the state and media to stigmatize, the interviewees often reject the term, instead viewing themselves as successful professionals prioritizing their autonomy and career growth.
- Quote paper
- Nicole Skoglund (Author), 2020, Women Hold Up Half the Sky, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1009618
