Mei Yang

Citation

Thesis Title
Barriers to Rural Women's Involvement in Economic Activities: Evidence from Shaanxi, China

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Ms Yang researched Chinese rural women's barriers to economic participation in farming and off-farm employment. She found that Chinese rural women were facing significant challenges, had diversified needs, and were generally lacking access to agricultural extension or professional training. The key government land transfer programme aimed at improving the efficiency of rural land usage is not a predictor of rural women choosing off-farm work, and only leads to women becoming idle in the farming sector. A mismatch was found between the training offered by local government and what rural women need, despite limited public resources. Ms Yang's research draws government’s attention to developing relevant policy adaptations to the ongoing national land transfer policy and ensuring training design is more focussed on narrowing the gender gap. Furthermore, she presents an updated understanding of professional Chinese rural women and identifies a number of challenges the new type of Chinese agricultural operators face.

Supervisors
Professor Martin Young
Professor Allan Rae
Professor Huiyan Zhao