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Do Mothers in Rural China Practice Gender Equality in Educational Aspirations for Their Children?

Yuping Zhang, Lehigh University
Grace Kao, University of Pennsylvania
Emily C. Hannum, University of Pennsylvania

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Copyright The University of Chicago Press. Reprinted from Comparative Education Review, Volume 51, Issue 2, May 2007, pages 131-157.
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/512023

Abstract

More than 2 decades of economic reforms have brought great improvements in the quality of life for women and girls in China. Despite these improvements, in some areas, cultural values and norms concerning gender roles and traditional family structures still influence the values attached to sons and daughters and create strong incentives for son preference (Croll 2000; Li and Lavely 2003). The most striking evidence of the priority parents place on sons is demographic: the "missing girls" phenomenon of abnormally masculine sex ratios at birth. This phenomenon has become more extreme in the economic reform period (Banister 2004).

Suggested Citation

Yuping Zhang, Grace Kao, and Emily C. Hannum. "Do Mothers in Rural China Practice Gender Equality in Educational Aspirations for Their Children?" Gansu Survey of Children and Families Papers (2007).
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/emily_hannum/15