00:00So, how does China stack up against other countries when it comes to the female labour market?
00:06In China, women have an employment rate of 60.5%, putting it slightly ahead of developed countries like the UK,
00:13where female employment is around 58%, and the United States, where it's 56.5%.
00:20Chinese women have been particularly successful in the IT sector.
00:2441% of Chinese tech companies have female founders. That's 13 percentage points higher than their UK peers,
00:32and 14 percentage points above the US.
00:35The number of female board directors in these Chinese companies is also significantly higher than in other industries.
00:43Shaolin Shen is the head of international at Crane Shares.
00:46Great to see you on the programme again.
00:48Now, isn't there a saying in China that women hold up half the sky?
00:53Are we seeing that reflected in the workplace?
00:57Absolutely. It's exactly the saying that women can hold up half the sky.
01:03This phrase is very deeply rooted, actually, in the Chinese society,
01:08and it continues to inspire progress for women in the workforce.
01:13And today, women comprise, I think you mentioned this, for over 40% of China's workforce are women.
01:20More than half of them, obviously, are, you know, or more than half of the internet startup founders are women.
01:27So, very inspiring.
01:28Obviously, women is participating, excuse me,
01:31participations in essentially pronounced in sectors such as entrepreneurship, science, digital innovations.
01:39All these sectors, they are strong candidates.
01:41And this is obviously will eventually help with the challenges we have.
01:48Not as much as the senior, you know, very high level of the leadership levels just yet.
01:54But this is definitely provide a very strong foundations for further advancement.
01:59You mentioned tech.
02:00You mentioned entrepreneurship.
02:01It is interesting that there seems to be more gender balance in some sectors than in others.
02:05Yes, I'm thinking about that 41% of Chinese tech companies with female founders,
02:11the co-founder of Alibaba, the president of Didi Shijing.
02:14Why are emerging industries that much more progressive?
02:18These are more of a newer sectors, newer industries, and more of a free of, you may say, entrenched traditions.
02:27And then they prioritize fresh ideas.
02:32So, these industries tend to have more of a flexible work model.
02:36So, they can, you know, with that in mind, it actually lowered the barrels for women to start a new business.
02:43And this is why these industries attract a lot of women entrepreneurs into these, to enter these, like, tech, digital, renewable energy,
02:51all these good, new, and emerging industries in China.
02:56And I was fascinated, you know, just a few weeks ago, I was invited to speak at a financial investment forum.
03:03And all my panelists are women.
03:05These are, by the way, in China.
03:07And you would know what I meant.
03:08I live in London, and for the forums I go, I will be a minority, okay?
03:14I'll be the only woman presenting, so on and so forth.
03:17But in China, it's totally coming up with a very, you know, trends of women are very, now in a very powerful, very senior role set, and even more.
03:28Shailo, what actions, what initiatives to promote working women are really making a difference?
03:34Today's announcement is helpful, with a very strong institutional support, like the China, putting this as a national policy.
03:42Now they're committing investments.
03:45Obviously, converting policies, which I think they will do, continue to do, which they have been doing for decades now.
03:51Convert that policy, become a daily actions to see a real result.
03:55I'm very hopeful for this, you know, to continue to be the case.
03:59Obviously, provide trainings, need it be, and also helping, you know, all the local governments to have really local incentives for more entrepreneurships to come.
04:09Maybe international collaborations on women's rights, so on and so forth.
04:12All this development will continue to help to support these trends.
04:16Chaolin Chen, Crane Shares, thank you so much.
04:19Pleasure.
04:20Chaolin Chen, Crane Shares, thank you so much.
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