In this project, we employ data from the Chinese population censuses of 1982, 1990, and 2000 to
examine reform-era changes in the patterns of male and female labor force participation and in
the distribution of men’s and women’s occupational attainment. Very marked patterns of change
in labor force participation emerge when we disaggregate the data by age cohort, marital status,
sex, and rural/urban location. Women have decreased their labor force participation more than
men, and urban women much more than rural women. Single young people in urban areas have
decreased their labor force participation to stay in school to a much greater extent than single
young people in rural areas. The urban elderly have decreased their rates of labor force
participation while the rural elderly have increased theirs. We also find evidence of the
feminization of agriculture.