Women Hold Up Half the Sky - A case study on how professional women in contemporary Shanghai negotiate the contradictions between intergenerational obligations and career development

Abstract: The Chinese party state has taken the initiative to exercise control over the nation’s population in order to align with family policy and goals for national development. As a result, the negatively loaded stereotype “leftover women” has deeply penetrated Chinese society where single, urban and educated Chinese women have been the main targets. From analyzing marriage trends in Shanghai, population specialists have concluded that individuals are moving away from the model of universal marriage. A recent growth of individualism in Chinese society has given rise to the desiring self. This study explores how single professional women in Shanghai deal with the challenge of negotiating between intergenerational obligations and career development. Qualitative data was gathered from 12 semi-structured interviews conducted on urban single professional women in Shanghai. Through the analysis of cultural logic, social policy, state behavior and qualitative data, this thesis has incorporated a fruitful discussion on the interconnectedness between diverse perspectives and larger frameworks. Results of the study support the notion that there exists a diverse moral landscape as intergenerational obligations are complex and, in some cases, contradictory as they cross or even go against norms. These diverse trajectories reveal how negotiations can be handled and shaped in many ways. In some cases, conforming to familial obligations through traditional filial piety is apparent, while in others, descending familialism and a contemporary filial piety sustains an intergenerational intimacy.