Rural Women in East Asia and Southeast Asia

Session Submission Type: Organized Panel Proposal Application

Abstract

This session consists of four papers with a central theme on the labor participation and wellbeing of rural women in developing Asia. Each paper has chosen to focus on a distinctive but related aspect so as to provide a more holistic basis for further discussion.

More specifically, Dr. Kong’s paper looks at the living conditions and wellbeing of elderly women in rural villages, who are arguably the most vulnerable subpopulation the rapidly ageing China. The second paper by Dr. Fan connects two under-researched areas, the left-behind rural women labor force and the mass production of fresh vegetables and fruit, and demonstrates that contrary to popular belief that these women are waiting to migrate, they have established a stable labor employment relationship in the fresh food production. The other two papers bring in cross-country comparative perspectives, with one contrasting women in Cambodia with those in Sri Lanka and the other compares the case of contemporary Viet Nam and that in Japan between the 1960’s and 1990’s. The comparative study paper by Dr. Wang investigates the relationship between women’s labor participation in rice production and their empowerment status. Lastly, Mr. Ryo Takeuchi’s study attempts to understand the socio-economic and ecological impact of rapid growth at a time of mass rural-to-urban migration.
Together, the four academic papers cover a number of important dimensions of rural development in five Asian countries. Professor Shuto, an expert in developmental issues in East Asia and Southeast Asia, will provide a constructive commentary to stimulate further discussion.

Area of Study

• Interarea-Border Crossing-Diaspora

Session Organizer

• Tao Kong, Peking University

Individual Presentations

• The Living Conditions and Wellbeing of Rural Elderly Women in China - Tao Kong, Peking University

• Labor Participation of Left-Behind Women in Rural China: A Case Study of Sichuan - Dan Fan, Southwest University of Finance and Economics, China

• Women’s Labor Participation and Gender Equality in Rural Households: A Comparative Case Study on Sri Lanka and Cambodia - Huaiyu Wang, Beijing Institute of Technology, China

• Economic Growth and Rural Transformation in Vietnam - Ryo Takeuchi, Kyoto University

Discussant

• Motoko Shuto, University of Tsukuba