Gender Stereotyping and Inequality Behind the Slogans: A Case Study in Chinese Tertiary Education

Abstract

The increasing number of female students in China has contributed to reducing the gender gaps in tertiary education over the past decades; however, the debate about gender inequality in tertiary education is ongoing. This study examines how the slogans on the banners for Girls’ Day celebrations from 2018–2020 on university campuses in mainland China convey male students’ willingness to provide help and support for the perceived academic issues faced by female college students, while surreptitiously conveying gender stereotyping and intelligence quotient (IQ) prejudice in the current university campus culture. These slogans occupy a prominent position on campus and help to evaluate the perceptions of both male and female college students regarding these issues. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with 16 undergraduate students at two universities. The analysis revealed that female IQ bias based on gender stereotyping is an enduring issue, which has been unintentionally inherited from previous generations of Chinese college students. The article reveals that despite the increased number of female college students, “benevolent discrimination” against women still exists in various forms in the campus culture and gender roles have not transformed much. The findings of this study can inform future gender education, orienting its effort towards a clearly identified niche of users.