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“When nobody listens, go online”: The “807” labor movement against workplace sexism in China's tech industry

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  • Hong Yu Liu

Abstract

An online petition, signed by more than six thousand Chinese tech workers in August 2021, is the latest example of an online labor movement in the authoritarian context of China. Combining interviews and publicly available information, this article provides a descriptive account of an activist movement, explains workers' demands, and discusses the characteristics of online labor activism. It explores how Chinese tech workers fight collectively against a gender‐discriminatory workplace culture as they strive to bring justice to a sexual crime victim without affiliating themselves with official political organizations. The research findings suggest that while rising feminist consciousness has the potential to motivate collective action by workers, such motivation is highly dependent upon individual experiences at work and tends to be event‐based and of limited continuity. It argues that rising awareness of women's rights provides a new kind of legitimacy to labor activism, and a new way to express labor concerns in a context of increased criminalization of labor organizational activities in China today.

Suggested Citation

  • Hong Yu Liu, 2023. "“When nobody listens, go online”: The “807” labor movement against workplace sexism in China's tech industry," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 312-328, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:30:y:2023:i:1:p:312-328
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12859
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. King, Gary & Pan, Jennifer & Roberts, Margaret E., 2013. "How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 107(2), pages 326-343, May.
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