mas.to/@theguardian/1167248096…

The Guardian 🤖

2026-06-10 08:14:09

Being a woman in China is getting harder. But in Chengdu, female-only spaces are flourishing

#theguardian

theguardian.com/world/2026/jun…

Being a woman in China is getting harder. But in Chengdu, female-only spaces are flourishing

The socially relaxed city sees a cautious feminist revival in the face of growing alarm by authorities towards women who shun traditional roles

^{Amy Hawkins (The Guardian)}

👉"Being a woman in #China is getting harder👈

The rising tide of a booming economy once lifted up people from all parts of society, revolutionising lives – women’s included. Now, an economic slowdown and #Chinese leadership that promotes a return to traditional family values are testing female liberation

theguardian.com/world/2026/jun…

Laishuxia bookstore. Photograph: Ding Gang/#TheGuardian

Women today are more educated than ever before, yet less likely to be in the ...

Being a woman in China is getting harder. But in Chengdu, female-only spaces are flourishing

The socially relaxed city sees a cautious feminist revival in the face of growing alarm by authorities towards women who shun traditional roles

^{Amy Hawkins (The Guardian)}

...workforce. 👉The female labour participation rate has fallen by more than 20% since 1990, as state-sponsored childcare has closed down and caring responsibilities for an ageing population have grown...👈

It is a subtle shift but one that allows them to live their lives with relative openness, within the limits of a government that insists on “positive energy” and censors social criticism.

👉#LiMaizi, one of #China’s most well-known feminist activists, left China in 2023...
@theguardian

...She says that in the past decade “the political environment has become much more restrictive”.👈

“Rights-based organising can quickly attract government scrutiny,” Li says. “Many #feminists have adapted their strategies. Instead of direct confrontation, some create women-centred spaces … that focus on solidarity, support, and #empowerment.

“I see this less as a retreat from feminism and more as a strategic adaptation to a tighter political environment.”

For Shen Shen, there is no contradiction between avoiding politics and a belief in gender equality.

“I feel that #feminism, more than anything, teaches women how to respond to all crises and challenges with wisdom.”"

Source:

theguardian.com/world/2026/jun…

//

@theguardian

Being a woman in China is getting harder. But in Chengdu, female-only spaces are flourishing

The socially relaxed city sees a cautious feminist revival in the face of growing alarm by authorities towards women who shun traditional roles

^{Amy Hawkins (The Guardian)}