Neglected Rural Women: Comparative Study on the Regional Differences of Agricultural Feminization in Mainland China

Abstract The main objective of the thesis was to analyze the structure, distribution, and impact of women farmers who have been neglected for a long time in the agricultural development of mainland China based on the national population census data from 1982 to 2020. Findings showed that the proportion of female agricultural labor force in 24 regions increased to varying degrees from 1990 to 2010. Areas where the distribution of female agricultural labor is relatively densely distributed largely overlap with cotton planting and growing areas and commodity grain bases, and nearly 1/4 of the areas have more female farmers than males. The feminization of agricultural labor force in China compared with developing regions of Latin America, Africa, and South Asia, has special because of balancing the relationship between rural women, rural families, and agricultural production and maximizing the economic efficiency of farmers during the transition period. The article recommends, in the promotion of rural revitalization strategy, China needs to actively integrate gender awareness, cultivate more female elites in agricultural technology, marketing, and management, giving play to the “super half effect” of rural women in cultural inheritance.