In rural China gender discrimination is rampant and has deep roots. Even though there has been progress in recent years, many rural girls are still having to quit school in order to support their families. If a girl does not have the resources to attend high school she will usually marry early, often as young as 16.

In recent years, China has become the world’s second-largest economy. However, in a speech (May 2020), Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, highlights that 600 million people in China have monthly incomes below $200 USD.

While many urban Chinese families can afford to provide their children with access to advanced learning and study abroad, rural high school students in Gansu don’t know how to operate a laptop and have never been to a city outside their own province. Their learning is limited to their textbooks.

Gender discrimination is rampant and has deep roots. Even though there has been progress and we see more girls pursuing further education, many still have to quit school to support their families and male siblings. If a girl does not attend high school, she can end up getting married as young as age 16.

China matters, and women in China matter.

China has a huge impact internationally. A new generation of women emboldened by education will make a difference not only to their communities and country, but also to the world at large.

The regions indicated in red on the map are where EGRC students are from. The stars mark the cities where they now study and work.