TY - JOUR
T1 - Women on China’s Internet
T2 - Consumption, contestation, and challenges for empowerment
AU - Song, Yunya
AU - Li, Jiarui
AU - Zou, Sheng
N1 - This study was supported by a General Research Fund (HKBU 12605520) of the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, the Initiation Grant for Faculty Niche Research Areas (RC-FNRA-IG/21-22/COMF/01) of Hong Kong Baptist University.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/9/18
Y1 - 2024/9/18
N2 - This essay critically examines the evolving relationship between women and the Internet in China, incorporating a multidimensional theoretical framework to explore the nuances of digital access, usage, and empowerment over the past 30 years. While noting a significant reduction in the gender gap in Internet access, the essay highlights persistent gender disparities in usage and outcomes, influenced by socio-economic and cultural factors. It also challenges simplistic binaries by considering the complex interplay of empowerment narratives and structural constraints within the digital sphere. The essay advocates for a reevaluation of theoretical models to better understand the dynamic process of gender equality in cyberspace, emphasizing the need for ongoing research into the intersection of gender, technology, and power in China.
AB - This essay critically examines the evolving relationship between women and the Internet in China, incorporating a multidimensional theoretical framework to explore the nuances of digital access, usage, and empowerment over the past 30 years. While noting a significant reduction in the gender gap in Internet access, the essay highlights persistent gender disparities in usage and outcomes, influenced by socio-economic and cultural factors. It also challenges simplistic binaries by considering the complex interplay of empowerment narratives and structural constraints within the digital sphere. The essay advocates for a reevaluation of theoretical models to better understand the dynamic process of gender equality in cyberspace, emphasizing the need for ongoing research into the intersection of gender, technology, and power in China.
KW - (dis)empowerment
KW - China
KW - gender disparity
KW - Internet studies
KW - women
UR - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20570473241280322
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85204519547&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/20570473241280322
DO - 10.1177/20570473241280322
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85204519547
SN - 2057-0481
JO - Communication and the Public
JF - Communication and the Public
ER -
