ABSTRACT
From British feminist writer Virginia Woolf to single-parent female domestic workers in this study, ‘a room of one’s own’ has always been a woman’s dream for independent space. However, women in different countries are faced with different sets of difficulties when they struggle to realize this dream. In China, the housing rights of women are included in rather general and vague laws and policies on property rights, and marriage and family rights that are enjoyed by both men and women. In reality, women’s housing rights are closely related with marriage, work and income. The experience of single parent female domestic workers’ groups in Xian in this study demonstrates how these complex relationships work. Focus group interview is the main method used for this study. Materials include records of interviews, focus group sharing, and homework done by group members. A small number of samples and data have been extracted from these materials for analysis. What is described in this study might not, therefore, represent conditions of the housing rights of all women in China. The study also has limitations in terms of sampling and material collection. However, as a pilot exploratory study, it captures the housing rights of single-parent female domestic workers by adopting a dynamic approach from a gender perspective. This helps to unearth gender discrimination in housing which is often rendered invisible by various systems and structures. By revealing the gender politics behind laws, policies, culture and market that affect the housing rights of women, this study aims to reveal the emptiness of mainstream rhetoric on women’s rights and to search for paths for women’s independence.
