Women Have Bigger Say In Family Matters in China

Chinese women are now having a bigger say in family matters as family incomes rise and people's educational backgrounds improve, according to a recent national survey.

Men are doing more house chores, said the survey conducted by the All-China Women's Federation.

The four-month survey paves the way for the revision of China's 1980 Marriage Law. 4,000 men and women in 10 provinces were surveyed.

In 80.4 percent of the families, major economic and other matters were decided by both husband and wife after discussions. Only 13.3 percent of husbands have the final say while only 5.5 percent wives do.

When the husband has higher income, he usually leaves the family matters to his wife. When the wife earns more, she is usually more interested in making decisions, said Ding Lu, an official with ACWF.

However, the urban vs. rural differences exist, too, in family matters, since 7.8 percent house wives in cities have the final say. The number in the countryside, in contrast, is 3.3 percent.

The survey also found that men are doing more house chores than before.

In 45.9 percent of the families, household affairs are shared by both husband and wife. However, most of the work is still done by women. Only 2.1 percent of husbands are doing more household chores than wives.

People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/