2006: China Women's Living Conditions Report - Women's Living Blue Book (includes CD-ROM)

Author: Han Xiangjing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Reflections on the Living Conditions of Chinese Women
Through the investigation and analysis of three key areas in the field of Chinese women's lives in 2005, it can be clearly seen that the living conditions of women in China are a reflection and manifestation of the macro situation of stable and rapid economic growth, comprehensive progress in social undertakings, and steady advancement of a harmonious society. The achievements of China's reforms and development are vividly embodied among urban professional women. At the same time, it should be recognized that to further improve the living conditions of women, the following issues deserve serious consideration.
(1) Enhancing Qualities and Employment Competition
Women must rely on their own efforts to improve their living conditions and enhance their economic status and income levels. This self-reliance means securing employment and economic income through their own strength, thereby gaining the initiative in improving their living conditions. To achieve this, it is essential to enhance their qualities. This quality is comprehensive and includes four basic aspects:
First, physical and mental health;
Second, cultural quality, with professional competitiveness;
Third, professional quality, capable of performing their jobs;
Fourth, social quality, skilled in social interactions.
The 2006 "Quality of Life Report on Chinese Women" reflects the first three qualities but mentions the fourth very little. Only by comprehensively enhancing these four aspects can women possess the strength to compete in the job market; otherwise, they cannot improve their living conditions through self-reliance. Of course, it should be noted that women are often at a disadvantage in the fierce competition for jobs. For example, some jobs are unsuitable for women, and discriminatory hiring conditions, along with feudal concepts of male superiority and female inferiority, all act as barriers to women's employment competition. However, women who are self-reliant should regard these as pressure and motivation, bravely face the harsh reality, and strive tirelessly to improve their quality levels. Only by finding a social foothold and an economic support point can they achieve continuous improvement in their living conditions and quality of life.
(2) Savings and Consumption
Savings and consumption are a contradiction in life, and handling their relationship is a financial management skill that every professional woman must master. According to the 2006 China Women's Quality of Life Survey, 26.4% of respondents believed that the ratio of consumption to savings should be 6:4, 19.8% thought it should be 7:3, 18% believed it should be 8:2, and 16.3% thought it should be 5:5. This shows that women have a strong desire for savings. So, what is the optimal ratio? It cannot be answered in general terms. First, two questions need to be addressed: why do women value savings, and does savings affect immediate consumption, or does a high savings rate inevitably shrink consumption and bring risks?
First, why do women, and by extension Chinese people, save money? By the end of 2005, the total savings in China had exceeded 1.4 trillion yuan, which is related to the country's conditions. The savings desire of women and Chinese citizens mainly stems from concerns about expected consumption. In the absence of a perfect social security system, residents save money for old age, and this type of life-cycle savings accounts for a significant proportion. Next is saving to prevent illness, unemployment, and family accidents; then there is saving to pay for children's education; and some families rely on savings to buy housing, cars, and major household appliances. This type of goal-oriented savings is the mainstream motivation for saving. Those who save for profit-driven investments or traditional frugal savings with no other motives are relatively rare.
In reality, few people save by compressing immediate consumption, or tightening their belts. Precisely for this reason, even though China has maintained a high savings rate for many years, it has not had a significant impact on the domestic consumer market.
Second, does a high savings rate necessarily mean high risks? Not necessarily. Macroscopically, China's 1.4 trillion yuan in savings amounts to only over 10,000 yuan per person. If a house costs 8,000 yuan per square meter, it can only buy a little over one square meter. Microscopically, people save either for use in ten or even a hundred years, or for consumption in the next one or two years. A thousand families have a thousand plans, and a thousand withdrawal and usage plans, making it impossible for them to redeem all their money at the same time. With China's stable political situation, social stability, and economic prosperity, there is no risk of.
Therefore, the claim that a high savings rate inevitably brings high risks is not a law. However, this does not mean that maintaining a high savings rate long-term, or even believing that a higher savings rate is better, is advisable. For this reason, the central government has adopted active monetary and fiscal policies, actively expanding consumption demand, stabilizing residents' spending expectations, promoting immediate consumption, clearing and revising unreasonable regulations and policies that suppress consumption, regulating and developing consumer credit, and promoting the upgrading of residents' consumption structure. Under the push of macro policies, as various social security systems are gradually established and improved, the relationship between savings and immediate consumption for Chinese women and citizens will change.
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