ABSTRACT
China has experienced two decades of rapid social, political and economic change. In particular, the changing nature of the labour market, a move from workplace-based welfare towards a social welfare system, the far-reaching state sector reform and the growth of the private sector at the expense of the state sector have had a direct impact on women's managerial careers. For example, the state employer's recent introduction of modern human resource management (HRM) techniques may create more opportunities for women to be recruited and promoted in government organizations through competence examinations rather than relying on the quota system or employing the gender preference of organizations. Marketization of the economy may bring new opportunities for women to develop their entrepreneurship and managerial careers, in spite of the adversarial situation of weakening direct state intervention. However, these opportunities may be undermined by the deeply embedded Chinese social convention in which women are widely expected to play a supporting role to men (Cooke, 2003; Korabik, 1994). In addition, although a series of equal opportunity legislation has been introduced by the state, the fairness of these regulations and the effectiveness of their implementation are highly debatable. This is worsened by the absence of equal opportunity initiatives at the organizational level aimed to improve women's career prospects.
