Abstract:

The development of modern industry has been an important turning point for women's participation in paid labor. However, the resulting social attention that transcends economic realities has multiple impacts on women's employment. Using data from the China Industrial Survey Report, we analyze the relationship between trade scale, social attention and female employment in the industrial sector of the Republic of China. The results show that the expansion of trade scale can significantly increase the number and proportion of female employment. Under the impact of Western learning, trends in women's employment and the women's movement were spawned, and public opinion became widely concerned about the rights of women workers. With increased social attention to women workers, the expansion of trade, on the contrary, lowered the employment ratio of women workers. This negative effect was even more pronounced in regions where monopoly power was stronger.

Key words:

trade scale, social attention, female employment