According to research done by the World Bank (World Bank [2001]), women throughout
the world do not yet have the same social, economic, and legal rights as men. A greater
gender gap exists in developing countries, especially for women in rural areas who suffer
from the following three disparities: 1) between developed countries and developing
countries, 2) between men and women, 3) between urban areas and rural areas. Those women
in rural areas generally have a lower literacy rate than women living in urban areas. Neither
have access to productive resources (land, capital and technology), medical services, or
autonomy. On the other hand, what is often ignored is that those women in rural areas
contribute greatly to the development of their countries’ and local communities’ reproduction
process through providing food for their families and maintaining nutrition for their health.
However, those women in developing countries suffer from the burden of their government’s
budget cuts.
China has proceeded with economic development and modernisation for the past fifty
years. In its social changes and restructuring process of productive relations, women’s role
and status have repeatedly been examined. In that sense, China is a unique and important case
to be covered by research on the issue of the relationship between rural development and
gender.
This article focuses on China to study how the development strategy has had an influence
on gender relations through history, culture, and various institutions. It focuses especially on
rural development before and after the time of the“policy of economic reform and openingdoor”.
It also pays attention to how effectively the development of China’s rural industry
(township, village, and private enterprises—TVEs) since 1970s has improved gender
relations, thus leading to the policy implications on the issue of gender gaps in developing
countries.