ICE-BEES 2018 International Conference on Economics, Business and Economic Education 2018 Volume 2018 Conference Paper New Characteristics of Rural Women’s Economic Participation in Shaanxi, China Mei Yang1, Allan Rae2, and Martin Young3 1Northwest A&F University, China 2School of Economics and Finance, Massey University, New Zealand 3School of Economics and Finance, Massey University New Zealand Abstract China’s large scale migration, urbanization, accompanying its rural land circulation for modern agriculture, rural women’s economic situation was enormously affected but little noticed. To explore this, the study examines rural women’s challenges and potential in economic participation in Shaanxi province through a survey of 356 rural women in three areas of Shaanxi with different developing characteristics. The primary data allows a more in depth and systematic analysis of the current situation Corresponding Author: of rural women. Results indicate that the economic participation of rural women in Mei Yang
[email protected] China presents some common and different challenges. Their own low educational attainment and their care-provider role are two common challenges. Meanwhile, Received: 7 August 2018 Accepted: 15 September 2018 their economic participation illustrates a geographical characteristic, which is largely Published: 22 October 2018 restricted by the land policy, regional economic development. Publishing services provided by Knowledge E Mei Yang et al. This article is 1. Introduction distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Over the last three decades, China’s industrialization and urbanization have been on Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and an unprecedented scale [3]. Tofight against its decaying and backward agricultural sit- redistribution provided that the uation and stimulate people’s enthusiasm in farming, Chinese government for decades original author and source are credited.