The Empowerment of China’s Left-behind Women

Feminization of agriculture is occurring in China through the rural-urban migration of labor, predominantly men. This phenomenon raises the question: Does women’s increasing participation in farming affect their capacity and power in decision-making regarding agricultural production and their rural livelihood? While little research has been done to address this issue due to the measurement challenges, the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) offers a way to correct this deficiency. This study is the first attempt to apply the WEAI in China. The WEAI modules and method will be localized for the context of China, reflecting both
language and institutional characteristics. The left-behind women’s WEAI score is expected to be higher than those women from households without any migrant workers. The results of the research cannot only be applied to evaluate the on-going public programs funded by the government, but they are also useful in formulating policy interventions to empower rural women in general.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rose Olfert

Student:

Partner:

Henan University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program: