Exploring guanxi from a gender perspective: urban Chinese women's practices of guanxi

This study explored guanxi from a gender perspective. It investigated how urban Chinese women build and exercise guanxi in their professional life and the related tensions involved in the process. Three main paradoxes were found to be predominant among the participants: (1) guanxi is believed to be important, yet controversial to them; (2) they tend to hold negative views toward social events, while acknowledging participating in such events is vital to maintain and enhance guanxi; and (3) women have more advantages than men in practicing guanxi, but the reputations of women who are good at practicing guanxi are controversial. The study also shows that urban Chinese women practice guanxi mainly for their careers, children, and for treating illnesses. These findings suggest the government should formulate policies regarding fair hiring and affordable, high-quality education and healthcare.