A new infographic from the Shanghai Daily looks at the situation of China's 'leftover' women, a somewhat objectionable term that's gained traction to describe unmarried women in their late twenties and older. The data are the results of a poll that sought the opinions of nearly 2000 single women in Shanghai. more ›

Here's some news that our good friend Li Yang of Crazy English (and his wife) might like to hear:

Legislators are in the final stages of designing a new law to tackle the scourge of domestic violence, a leading women's rights campaigner said on Wednesday. more ›

Sure there's that niggling problem of the millions of missing girl babies, and goodness knows there's still some NPCs with outdated sexist opinions, but generally women are doing great for themselves in China and - barring a couple of hurdles that still need to be conquered - represent a talent pool the likes the world has never known. At least that's what a study from the Center for Work-Life Policy (CWLP) proposes. more ›

At the recently concluded "Two Sessions", a female National People's Congress representative by the name of Zhang Xiaomei made the shocking proposal for women to leave the workforce and return home. Notable feminist-sociologist Li Yinhe took to her blog to explain why Zhang's proposal is a bad idea, and to lament the overall lack of the awareness of gender equality among female NPC delegates. Below is our translation of her post, entitled, "It's time for our female NPC representatives to rethink their positions!" more ›

Liu Shaowu (刘绍武), director of the security management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, recently emphasised to public security bureaus nationwide the importance of respect as a key touchstone in the crackdown against vice and prostitution. Sex workers, he said, may not be subject to verbal and physical abuse, discrimination and shaming by public parades. He also suggested that the public security bureau would henceforth no longer call prostitutes「卖淫女」(lit. "women who sell vice"), and encourage the use of the term「失足妇女」(lit. "women who have lost their way"). The statement sparked off a flurry of debate in the public, but the ministry's move has received a thumbs up from notable feminist and sexologist Li Yinhe (李银河). Here is our translation of her latest blogpost: more ›

It was a fully packed house at the Box last night as the audience crowded in to see the famed play The Vagina Monologues. Organized as part of Shanghai Pride it is the second time we've seen the play in Shanghai. It was performed by a group of nine expat women who acted out Eve Ensler's monologues covering sex, rape, menstruation, labor, masturbation and even included a talented rendition of a triple orgasm. more ›

Betty Friedan would be ashamed! Shanghai women may be rumored to be independent and strong willed, but it looks like the thing they're still most afraid of is not getting married by the time they're 30. These women, allegedly past prime child birthing years, are called "3s ladies" or "sheng nu" (leftover women). It seems that rather than looking up to these 70s-born career women, more than 70% of female graduates in 17 Chinese universities think they're to be pitied. Well, if even top grads feel that way, then no wonder there's such a huge university student "mistress" problem. more ›

We all know that Mao loved to say that “Women Hold Up Half the Sky” when referring to China’s female population. And a few weeks ago, this seemed to be very much the case, as we reported that half of the world’s self-made lady billionaires struck their fortunes here in the mainland (which is 7 out of the 14 femmes that form the billionair-ress club). more ›

If the news this week is anything to go by, it's not too bad a week for women here in China. Sure, a UNDP report calculated that there were 96 million of us missing in East Asia - but we knew that already (and besides, at least in the cities, the gap seems to be narrowing). Anyway, here's three reasons why the last few days have been pretty stellar on the femme front. more ›

Happy International Women's Day! As a gift for you, here's a news report (on Youtube) by Melissa Chan of Al Jazeera that features Wu Qing, an absolutely fantastic firecracker of a human being who teaches rural women how to be confident in a male-dominated society. more ›

You don't have to be Laura Mulvey to realize that most of the actors you see in film are male, most directors are male, and most stories are told from a somewhat "male" perspective. Time to make way for female directors and female actors, and try to shrug that male gaze off our eyes and minds. more ›

As if it wasn't bad enough that girl babies still aren't wanted by the general populace (despite gains in Shanghai) and work interviews targeted at females seem to have gotten increasingly ridiculous, now a list is circulating about the ten criteria of being a "modern Chinese woman"... and it looks like it ain't easy being us, folks. more ›

It looks like those female army officers goosestepping in hot pink miniskirts at the 60th Anniversary bash were a sign of things to come. As always seems to be the case with gender equality in China, the PLA's recent step forward (the country's first female fighter pilots) was just preparation to take two steps back. Witness: women trying to enter the army now must prove that they have "talents." more ›

Tonight could have been the night that changed your life. The (International) Noise Conspiracy, "one of the wildest and most uncompromising live acts out there" flying in from Sweden, were to take total charge over the Yuyintang stage, but thanks to certain National Day-flavored machinations, it was cancelled. more ›

China has begun the preliminary stages for selecting its first female astronauts and will formally announce the selection plan by the end of the year, according to China Daily. more ›

China is planning on putting its first woman into space, just months after sending its first women fighter pilots up into the air. According to Yang Wei, China's first astronaut, "I believe Chinese women will be seen in space in the near future." Each astronaut-to-be will undergo two to three years of training and will probably complete their journeys into the great beyond by 2012. As China Daily is wont to do, it included a questionable and unintentionally funny quote about the suitability of women in space. A researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology told the paper that "Women are better at handling loneliness in space where you can only hear the buzzing sound of machines." Yeah, I guess we are pretty good at handling buzzing machines. more ›

Eve Ensler's celebrated play—The Vagina Monologues —is coming to Shanghai. First produced in 1996 and first performed on off-Broadway's Westside Theater and London's West End, the play went on to become a global phenomenon. Each monologue is one woman's story, relating the vagina to sex, love, rape, menstruation, birth and other themes and issues in her life. Translated into at least 45 languages and staged in 120 countries to date, the play is performed as a benefit production around the world as a way to raise money for V-Day, an organization and movement that Ensler founded to help end violence against women. more ›