Muslim Female Teachers in China under Reform and Opening-up Policy: Career Options, Life and Identity

Abstract

  The Huangtu Plateau in southern Ningxia is one of the poorest areas in China. The Hui Muslim people who live there have historically been suppressed. In 1978 the Reform and Opening Policy was introduced, and the market economy has progressed rapidly. The school enrollment rate has been increasing ever since, but girl's enrollment rates have remained low. The lack of female teachers was one of the social reasons for the low enrollment rate of Hui girls. Therefore, efforts have been made to increase the number of Hui female teachers since the end of 1980s.

  In this paper, I have examined the realities of Hui female teachers in Contemporary China from the viewpoint of career options, life and identity.

  State schooling enhanced their literacy and created new opportunities for the Hui girls who had lived in deprived conditions. Their social status rose and they earned the respect of the community. In fact, Hui Muslim female teachers are struggling to face the conflict between the state and the Muslim community. They have become annoyed by mental conflicts between secular and Muslim identities.