Two echo chambers: Contradictions in voices of women social entrepreneurs in China

Abstract

This study uses data from Chengdu, China, to analyse two differing approaches of Chinese women social entrepreneurs in gender discussions and the fight for women’s interests: gender and development and women in development. Each approach has formed an echo chamber and the development of social enterprise certification in China has deepened the gap between them. Balancing the practical and strategic interests for policy formulation and cultural construction is a process that requires the coordination of various women’s groups and their interests. Better dialogue in the public sphere and social systems is needed to broaden the understanding of women’s social entrepreneurship and facilitate a benign reflexive relationship between their differing voices and related policies.