Chengdu Women Build Female-Only Spaces as China’s Female Labor Rate Falls More Than 20%
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 10
Chengdu Women Build Female-Only Spaces as China’s Female Labor Rate Falls More Than 20%
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 10
Summary
Female-only bookstores, bars and social groups are gaining ground in Chengdu, where women are carving out cautious spaces for solidarity, safety and discussion under tighter political limits.
More than 20% of China’s female labor-force participation has disappeared since 1990, as childcare support shrank, elder-care burdens grew and leaders pushed more traditional family roles.
2023 and 2024 openings including feminist bookstore Laishuxia, women-only bar Rearview Mirror and the Girls in Chengdu network show how organizers are avoiding overt activism and framing their projects around practical support.
Police scrutiny and censorship still shape those efforts: organizers notify authorities about events, feminist accounts are shut for alleged “gender antagonism,” and earlier street-based activists faced detention, harassment and surveillance.
Chengdu’s distance from Beijing and relatively relaxed culture have made it a rare hub for this softer form of feminist organizing, which activists describe as adaptation rather than retreat.