Knowledge, Not Beauty, Important for Beijing Women

Reading and learning seem to be more important than makeup and housework for the women of Beijing, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by Meilande Consulting, showed that jobs demanding more education, such as doctor, accountant and college teacher, top the list of work that Beijing women find attractive. In contrast, jobs such as modeling which rely on beauty are not so popular among those women surveyed.

"Reading and learning have come to be important ways for women to improve their status," said Ge Chenhong, a sociologist at People's University.

Women now account for 46 percent of Beijing's civil servants and 53 percent of the city's technicians, while in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, as many as 90 percent of the Chinese women were illiterate.

According to an official source, of the 28,000 employees in Beijing's overseas-funded firms, half are women now.

Last year, more than 60 percent of the Beijing's women who were laid-off from state enterprises found new jobs after completing a variety of training courses.

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