Gender Inequality in Access to Knowledge in China

Danke Li

《The China Review An Interdisciplinary Journal on Greater China》 2卷1期 (2002/05) Pp. 121-147

摘要

Gender inequality in education in China has become an increasing concern of scholarly works in the past 15 years. To complement the existing scholarship on women's unequal access to formal schooling, this study argues that it is also important to examine whether males and females in China have differential access to knowledge. Access to knowledge is concerned with what students learn in school. Gender inequality in access to knowledge in secondary education for females could affect women's access to higher education, desirable job opportunity, and other important life chances and thus affect gender equality in the larger society. Based on an analysis of the curriculum and tracking in secondary schools, this study attempts to show that since the 1985 educational reform, the educational system in China has been a hindrance to females' equal access to knowledge. This study also tries to draw scholarly attention to the subject and to promote future research in both data collection and analysis.