Women and Self-employment in Rural China

The three decades of the market-oriented reform since 1978 have redefined employment in rural China and brought profound gendered experiences. Both men and women have contributed to a massive employment transition from agriculture to off-farm sectors, including that of self-employment. However, given the general findings that men have taken a lead in the burgeoning economic sectors, previous studies have not paid enough attention to women’s participation in self-employment sectors. This study draws on life-history interviews from 27 women in a Chinese village, 9 of whom have participated in self-employed economic activities and 18 of whom have not. This study explores the determinants that facilitate or constrain women’s participation in self-employment sectors, either derived from increasingly market-dominated employment relationships, benefits and risks involved in conducting one’s own business, or family demands. Based on different driving forces underlying women’s increasing activeness in self-employment, women diverged in taking self-employment as an individual career, a side job, or a family venture, which helps to re-define their role in the family and in the labor force.