Attitudes of Women Toward Work in Socialist and Capitalist Cities: A Comparative Study of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong

Abstract

Employed women are taking on multiple roles in the family and at work. The multiple role expectations are sources of stress and strain on working women. The attitude of working women toward their employment in socialist and capitalist societies may differ owing to the different ideological culture of the societies. This paper reports the results of a comparative study of 1,500 female respondents in the socialist cities of Beijing and Guangzhou as well as that of capitalist Hong Kong. Most respondents felt strongly about sex discrimination in the workplace. Respondents in China are more positive toward work, while respondents in Hong Kong place higher priority on the family.