WOMAN POWER LEADS CONSUMPTION GROWTH, A KEY ECONOMIC DRIVER

According to the World Bank, among the world's top 20 economies. China has one of the highest labor force participation rates for women, which means that better education, rising disposable income【可支配收入】 and aspirations for the "good life" are making women a major driver of consumption in China's economy. Zhang Shixuan has more.

A few clicks on the phone screen, and Zhang Mengchu has finished booking a furniture repairman. That cost her a hundred yuan, but since last year when the 39-year-old took charge of 【负责】all family spending, it represents just a small part of her budget. The total can come to ten or fifteen thousand a month, most of that for her daughter's education, apartment cleaning, and food.

Nicole Zhang, Post-1980s

我先生在境外管理公司，疫情无法回来，之前先生做家庭消费主导者，国内生活的话，我就全部承担起来了。我的女儿初一，初中其实对于一个孩子非常重要，现在语数外的主课很重视，初一阶段，每个月2000多。

My husband works overseas and has not been able to come back because of the pandemic. So now, I'm the decision-maker【决策者】 for family spending. My daughter is now in grade seven, which is very important for her studies in Chinese, Mathematics and English. I'm spending around 2,000 yuan a month on her extra-curriculum courses【课外补习班】.

Zhang keeps the rest of the spending for herself, mainly for catering【餐饮】 and cosmetics【化妆品】. And she also keeps an eye on【关注】healthcare, on which she can spend up to 2,000 yuan a month.

Her 14-year-old daughter, however, is paying for entirely different things. She spends money on games and internet applications, especially for her favorite hobby, drawing.

Zhou Yining, Post-2000s

五年级的时候开始买procreate，绘画，本来有绘画爱好。现在68元。我也包月，B站版权看电影。我同学喜欢也喜欢买软件，买视频网站会员爱奇艺，喜欢看番就买B站。

I subscribed to the app Procreate when I was in Grade five because I'm keen in drawing. It's 68 yuan a year. And I also pay for membership on Bilibili to watch movies. My classmates do too, and they also buy some apps like me. Some of them might pay for memberships【会员】 on video platforms like iQiyi, and Bilibili to watch anamie.

It's the women born around the 1990s, however, who have become the main consumption force in China, and who are proving to be extremely varied in their shopping preferences【购物偏好】.

Ms. Qian, Post-1990s

化妆品、护肤品会花1000-2000，每个季度

I buy cosmestics, 1,000 or 2,000 yuan worth, every quarter.

Ms. Zhang, Post-1990s

超过50%在餐饮，满足社交需求。更愿意为耐用品电子器材这种买单。一年四五件把，小几千，手机、电子书这种

More than half of my spending goes to social meals, and I also paying for electronics, like mobile phones or e-books.

A recent report from Tmall says 80% of the leading new brands【头部新品牌】 on the platform focus on women's products, as they remain keenly interested in new things. Of consumers who have generated more than 12 orders for new brands a year, 70% are women.

Jason Yu, General Manager Kantar Worldpanel Greater China

Females are much more independent. And as they are more well-educated. they actually decide to be more confident in themselves in what they choose. When female become mother, especially the younger females, they are very different. Of course, they take increasing care of their families. But at the same time, they also want to take care of themselves. So they want to be not just called a mother, but actually a little sister.

And of course who should know more about women than ... other women. The result is that women's shopping has driven up【拉动，提高】 the number of women's shop owners. Tmall says more than half of its clothing shop owners are women, and shops that would traditionally have featured more men owners, like electronics, games and sports, are now seeing a significant jump as well in the number of women shop owners.

#热词加油站

disposable income [dɪˈspəʊzəbl ˈɪnkʌm]【可支配收入】

take charge of [teɪk tʃɑːdʒ ɒv] 【负责】

decision-maker [dɪ'sɪʒənmeɪkə(r)]【决策者】

extra-curriculum course [ˈekstrə kəˈrɪkjələm kɔːs]【课外补习班】

catering [ˈkeɪtərɪŋ]【餐饮】

cosmetic [kɒzˈmetɪk]【化妆品】

keep an eye on [kiːp ən aɪ ɒn]【关注】

membership [ˈmembəʃɪp]【会员】

shopping preference [ˈʃɒpɪŋ ˈprefrəns]【购物偏好】

leading new brand [ˈliːdɪŋ nju: brænd【头部新品牌】

drive up [draiv ʌp]【拉动，提高】