Dr Sisi Sung
The Economics of Gender Identity, Management, and Business Organizations.
NEW BOOK
The Economics of Gender in China
Women, Work and the Glass Ceiling
by Sisi Sung
Why are women largely absent at the apex of Chinese corporate workplace amid its economic development? This book offers new perspectives on the paradox with a cross-disciplinary paradigm, with economics at its core, to better understand gender in China and women in management in the Chinese business context.
In-depth interviews with managers in China’s largest enterprises complement the theoretical perspective with rich empirical details to examine women’s managerial experiences and career choices.
The book offers multi-disciplinary evidence on the economics of gender in China that is highly relevant for gender studies in general, and across a number of subject areas, and it can be used in any setting as an introductory reference.
Published 2022 by Routledge
ISBN 9781032309941
review
George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001
“In a remarkable synthesis of economics, sociology, anthropology, of ancient and modern Chinese history, and of Western and Chinese viewpoints, Sisi Sung has given a subtle and convincing characterization of the position of women in present-day China. The Economics of Gender in China should be read by everyone who wants to see social science at its very best, including, of course, all those with special interest in studies of gender and Chinese culture.”
review
Deborah Davis, Yale University
“In this monograph, Sung adds analytic rigor by foregrounding the larger framing from the economics of identity and by expanding its application to the experience of Chinese women working in the corporate sector. Through masterful integration of theory and evidence, she deftly creates dialogue with previous scholarship while incorporating extended examples from her own fieldwork and deep knowledge of Chinese history” (from the Foreword).
review
Dr Fang Lee Cooke, Fellow, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Distinguished Professor, Monash Business School, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University
“This is an important monographic account of the role of women in the contemporary economy, society, family and workplace in China from a multi-disciplinary perspective. It captures the opportunities and barriers to women’s managerial career advancement comprehensively, which contributes to the global agenda of improving gender equality.”
review
Bohong Liu, Professor, China Women’s University, Former Executive Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Chinese Women’s Studies
“The book is an important work with profound significance. It analyzes the underrepresentation of women in China’s management positions and navigates a path to break the glass ceiling such that courageous and competent Chinese women can truly become “half of the sky” among leaders and decision-makers.”
about the author
Sisi Sung
Sisi Sung is a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt, Germany, and a research fellow at Tsinghua University, China. She has received academic training in economics from the University of Washington, USA, Tsinghua University, and Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt. Her research has been published on academic journals in both English and Chinese. Her research interests include economics of gender, identity economics, labor economics, and an interdisciplinary approach to gender, work, and organizations. She lectures in international academic programs in the US, China and Germany as sole-instructor. She teaches courses in economics and other diverse strands of social sciences, including sociology, management science and public policy.