On gender theory into Chinese public administration research and practice

Gender theory (GT) an outgrowth of its ideological feminist base, is a systematic social construction of masculinity and femininity, with its emphasis on gender discrepancy and inequality deeply rooted in various social variables, such as politics, economy, culture and social system. GT recognizes equal potential while allowing for differences between genders, which endows people with a more gendered perspective. With its ultimate goal of pursuing social equality, justice and harmony, GT has exerted great influence in the western circles of ideology, academy and practice, especially in the field of the public administration (PA) by means of penetrating into policy practice and management activities within the government. However, in China, there is lack of knowledge about this theory in this field. As an introduction of GT, this thesis points out that it is necessary to assimilate GT into our public administration and delves further into the problems of "localization" and "mainstream-orientation" of GT.