Government & International Relations Seminar Series:

The Gendered Division of Labour in China’s Provincial Leadership

Presenter: Dr Minglu Chen, University of Sydney

Hybrid: RD Watt seminar room (A04, 203) and Zoom

Based on an original dataset created by the author, this presentation examines the appointments and work responsibilities of female governors and deputy governors in China’s provincial-level jurisdictions. Research reveals that Chinese female leaders are often put in charge of fewer resources and powerful portfolios, and those that confirm traditional women’s roles. But at the same time, China’s female provincial leaders are also increasingly assigned portfolios that are either conventionally seen as ‘masculine’ or of key policy significance in Chinese politics. Ruling out the possibility that such portfolio allocation is based on field-related experiences, the presentation argues that the vertical and horizontal division of power in the Chinese political system created access to power for women.

Minglu Chen is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Government and International Relations and a member of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Her research concentrates on social and political change in China, especially the interaction between entrepreneurs and the state and women’s political leadership. She has published her research in The China Quarterly, The China Journal and Journal of Contemporary China.