ABSTRACT
This chapter begins to counter the existing invisibility of Chinese Australian women in academic research by examining historical census data from 1911 to 1966. I reveal the extent of female Chinese Australian presence in White Australia and argue that the Chinese Australian population cannot be solely defined as a population of men. Beyond the gender divide, I also indicate the ways in which the population of Chinese Australian females was comprised of a diverse mix of age groups, birthplace groups, migrant status/generation, etc. Census data on birthplace, geographical distribution and migration patterns are also presented. I argue that Chinese Australian women were not only present in the nation throughout the White Australia period, but were internationally and intra-nationally mobile, and geographically dispersed across the Australian continent. Pertinent first-hand narrative accounts of migration and settlement experiences accompany the discussion of the official record in this chapter. The varied ways in which such intersections of identity limited or facilitated women’s mobility is examined within the broader political contexts of White Australia as well as Chinese social and cultural systems that were deeply rooted in Confucian ideology.
