'She Era' allows women to better compete with men

A forum was held in Shanghai on Saturday for five women to share their ideas on the “She Era.”

Tang Xiaofei, executive vice president of EF Education First China and organizer of the forum, said Internet has brought more possibilities to women.

She quoted a report by Alibaba that pointed out only 3.6 percent of entrepreneurs in traditional businesses are female, but that on the e-commerce platforms of Alibaba, 70 percent of merchandisers and 55 percent of shop owners are female.

And that increase is not only in the e-commerce area since more and more women are participating in politics, business, education, health care and technology.

Liang Dong, general manager of Givenchy China, also joked that women should realize how important they are, especially in the cosmetics industry since they are the main consumers.

Willow Liu, a fantasy fiction writer, also said that now is the best time for women as they compete with men using their brains, as opposed to physical power.

But Tang also pointed out that many women still face gender inequality in career opportunities, mentioning that the rate of women in senior-level positions is lower than men.

She suggested women speak up with confidence for themselves and support each other, and set short-term and long-term goals to achieve success gradually.

Zhao Hanxi, senior managing director of CITIC Capital, asked women not to think too much about gender identity, which might constrain themselves.

Flora Zeta Cheong-Leen, a Hong Kong-born dancer and founder of the Royal Conservatory of Performing Arts (RCPA) and Tian Art Foundation, shared her own life story as a dancer and designer and encouraged women to keep trying.