Islam, Family Life, and Gender Inequality in Urban China

by Zang; Xiaowei

• ISBN13: 9780415683661
• ISBN10: 0415683661
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-13
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book studies the relationship between Islam, family processes, and gender inequality among Uyghur Muslims in Sr mchi, China. Empirically, it shows in quantitative terms the extent of gender inequalities among Uyghur Muslims in Sr mchi and tests whether the gender inequalities are a difference in kind or in degree. It examines five aspects of gender inequality: employment, income, household task accomplishment, home management, and spousal power. Theoretically, it investigates how Islamic affiliation and family life affect Uyghur women "s status. Zang "s research involved rare and privileged access to a setting which is difficult for foreign scholars to study due to political restrictions. The data are drawn from fieldwork in Sr mchi between 2005 and 2008, which include a survey of 577 families, field observations, and 200 in-depth interviews with local Uyghurs. The book combines qualitative and quantitative data and methods to study gendered behavior and outcomes. The author "s study reinterprets family power and offers a more nuanced analysis of gender and domestic power in China and makes a pioneering effort to study spousal power, gender inequality in labor market outcomes, and gender inequality in household chores among members of ethnic minorities in China. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of ethnic studies, Chinese studies, Asian anthropology and cultural sociology.

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables	p. viii
Preface	p. x
Acknowledgements	p. xiv
Between Islamic affiliation and gender inequality	p. 1
Five aspects of gender inequality	p. 2
Possible mechanisms of sexual stratification	p. 2
Religiosity as a mechanism of gender inequality	p. 6
Family processes as a mechanism of gender inequality	p. 10
Changes and persistence in family life among Uyghurs	p. 11
How do family processes affect gender inequality?	p. 15
Do family processes matter?	p. 21
Historical contexts and research design	p. 24
Xinjiang and Ürümchi	p. 24
The demographic history of Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang	p. 27
Islam in Xinjiang	p. 33
Fieldwork in Ürümchi	p. 36
Analytic methods	p. 39
Dependent variables	p. 39
Independent variables	p. 40
A hard choice: to work or not to work?	p. 48
Gender gaps in employment in China	p. 50
Muslim women's labour supply	p. 51
Field observations in Ürümchi	p. 53
Why are women less likely than men to be employed?	p. 57
Is religion related to female labour-force participation?	p. 62
Religiosity and Muslim women's labour supply	p. 64
Does religiosity affect gender inequality in work in Ürümchi?	p. 64
Do family processes affect women's market behaviour?	p. 68
Family processes and gender inequality in employment in Ürümchi	p. 71
Supplementary analyses	p. 75
Why do Uyghur men earn more than Uyghur women?	p. 77
The gender earnings gap in China	p. 78
Gender earnings gaps among Uyghurs	p. 79
Why do women earn less than men?	p. 81
Is religious affiliation related to earnings?	p. 85
Religiosity and gender inequality in income	p. 85
Religiosity and Uyghur women's earnings	p. 87
Family processes as a determinant of earnings	p. 89
Family processes and gender inequality in income	p. 91
Supplementary analyses	p. 93
Who does household chores?	p. 95
Why are gendered divisions of household chores important?	p. 95
How are household tasks measured?	p. 97
Gender inequality in housework among Uyghurs	p. 99
How can gendered divisions of household chores be explained?	p. 106
Religiosity and the allocation of household chores	p. 109
Religiosity and housework among Uyghur couples	p. 110
Family processes and housework among Uyghurs	p. 115
Supplementary analyses	p. 120
Who manages the household?	p. 122
Why must household management be studied?	p. 123
How is household management measured?	p. 124
Gender and household management	p. 125
The gendered division of household management in Ürümchi	p. 126
Possible accounts of the gendered division of household management	p. 134
Religiosity and household management	p. 135
Family processes and household management	p. 140
Supplementary analyses	p. 144
Who's the boss?	p. 146
What is family power?	p. 146
The distribution of family power among Uyghurs	p. 148
Relative resources and gender inequality in domestic power	p. 152
Gender ideology and family power	p. 156
Islamic affiliation and family power	p. 157
Religiosity and family power in Urumchi	p. 158
Family work and spousal power	p. 161
Family processes and domestic power	p. 165
Supplementary analyses	p. 169
All in the family	p. 172
Gender inequalities and parities among Uyghurs	p. 172
Why is religiosity a weak mechanism of gender inequality?	p. 174
Why are family processes a major mechanism of gender inequality?	p. 177
Policy implications	p. 179
Notes	p. 181
References	p. 209
Index	p. 229
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