BREAD AND ROSES: CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 000110

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD, DRL, INR
NSC FOR LOI, KUTCHA-HELBLING

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SOCI PHUM ECON PGOV PREL OIIP KPAO CH
SUBJECT: BREAD AND ROSES: CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IN
SHANGHAI

(U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified and for official
use only. Not for distribution outside of USG channels or via
the internet.

Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) Shanghai women enjoy a higher social status than in
most other parts of China, according to attendees at a Consulate
lunch in honor of International Women's Day. The guests talked
freely about their own struggles as women in male-dominated
fields such as film, law, and engineering, and expressed concern
about the future for children growing up amidst the pressure and
high expectations of a fast-paced city. All voiced surprise and
pleasure to be invited to celebrate International Women's Day at
the U.S. Consulate, hosted by a female Consul General. End
Summary.

Women Making Their Voices Heard in Shanghai
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2. (SBU) A March 4 lunch hosted by the Consul General turned
into a networking event as a group of previously unacquainted
professional women shared their experiences with Consulate
officers and each other. The nine guests, three of whom
previously visited the United States on U.S. Government exchange
programs, discussed the contribution of women to society,
politics, and the arts in Shanghai, adding that they hope to see
more women leaders in all fields. They asked about the role of
women in the Obama administration, particularly Secretary
Clinton, and were surprised to learn that International Women's
Day rose from the U.S. labor movement and that era's call for
"Bread and Roses." With International Women's Day in China now
mainly shorn of political substance, the guests were interested
in the slogan's appeal for both economic security and a better
quality of life and impressed to learn that the U.S. allocates a
month to the celebration of women's history.


3. (SBU) Zhou Meiyan, a reform-minded staffer at the Shanghai
Municipal People's Congress (SMPC) said she believes there will
be more women political leaders both in Shanghai and at the
national level in the near future. Liu Jun, Deputy Director of
the Water Affairs Division at the Pudong New Area's
Environmental Management Bureau and a former Humphrey Fellow,
and Wang Li, Director of the Department of New Media at Jiefang
Media Group, both said they see more and more women working in
their respective fields. Lisa Zhou, Deputy Supervisor of the
Project Development Department at the Shanghai Cultural
Development Foundation, said her organization will continue to
empower women to make contributions to city-wide art festivals,
and Peng Xiaolian, Director of the Shanghai Film Studio,
commented that many Shanghai women have contributed to the film
industry. While hopeful about the future, most guests lamented
that "glass ceilings" limit their advancement in these mostly
male-dominated fields.


4. (SBU) Several guests asserted that women in Shanghai enjoy a
higher social status than in other parts of China. Zhang Nian,
a professor at Tongji University whose expertise is feminist
theory, and Zhou Meiyan from the SMPC both noted that women are
treated better in Shanghai. Huang Lili from the Shanghai Angel
Charity Foundation agreed with Zhang and Zhou, separately
telling CongenOff that women in Shanghai have more opportunities
than women in China's interior, echoing the sentiments of other
guests who praised the city's gender equality (nannu pingdeng).

What Does the Future Hold for Our Children?
--------------


5. (SBU) Despite praising the opportunities in Shanghai, the
women said they are concerned about the future for their
children, who face the pressure of growing up in a fast-paced
society with high expectations for success. Wang Li from
Jiefang Media Group and Li Lan, a judge on the Shanghai High
Court who earned her LLM degree at Temple University, both said
they believe their children have too much homework and not have
enough time to play. When the CG pointed out that American
families struggle with similar issues, the Shanghai parents
responded unequivocally that U.S. kids are much better off.


6. (SBU) Peng Xiaolian commented that many of Shanghai's
children appear unhappy when compared to the poor children of

SHANGHAI 00000110 002 OF 002


migrant laborers or farmers, and many of the well-educated
Shanghai children sometimes do not appear to be as intelligent
as poor children who are more "street smart." Huang Lili said
the difference in attitude between privileged children in the
city and migrant children is obvious in the places where her
foundation does charity work: "poor children are happier than
rich children."

Chinese Women: To Infinity and Beyond
--------------


7. (SBU) Despite the pressures of education in Shanghai, the
guests said they hope more women will grow up to study the
sciences in university. Wang Hong, President of the Shanghai
University of Engineering Science (currently the only female
university president in East China),stated that only 30 percent
of her university's students are women. In pure engineering
programs, men overwhelmingly dominate; management and design
programs have more women, however, and in some cases female
students form the majority. It is especially difficult to find
women who want to study to become pilots. Thanking the
Consulate for bringing a U.S. astronaut to speak to students two
years earlier, Wang said there is no reason that a Chinese woman
cannot be an astronaut; this is one area where she sees a need
for advancement.

Praise for One of Their Own
--------------


8. (U) All of the guests thanked the Consul General for hosting
the first celebration of International Women's Day at the
Consulate in their memory. Many of the guests paused at the
wall of photos of Shanghai's 33 previous Consuls General, noting
with satisfaction that the Consulate is now led by a woman for
the first time. "I have been invited to other Consulate events
but sometimes didn't feel it would be appropriate to attend,"
Peng Xiaolian told CongenOff. "But now I feel very welcome
here."
CAMP