Empowering Women in the Chinese Capitalist Factory System

Abstract

Over the past thirty years, China has moved from a communist to a capitalist economy. This change has pushed millions of young, rural women to migrate to the cities in order to begin working in its many booming factories. These women, if they manage to avoid falling prey to false advertising and trafficking scams, enter the competitive capitalist system at the absolute lowest level. They find employment in foreign-invested companies, usually producing toys, clothing, footwear, and electronics. Their service positions in an unregulated labor market subordinate them, and factory women are constantly reminded of their low positions within the workplace.