Page 61 - Chinese Woman Living and Working

48 CLODAGH WYLIE
more forgiving towards women when they made mistakes than they would be with other
men. Interviewee E suggested that for unimportant or trivial matters a woman would be
able to use her charm to influence a man. However, if it were a serious or important
matter that required a deep understanding and knowledge, a woman should instead rely
on her brains and ability, allowing men to see that she was intelligent. Participant E is the
director of a human resources company based in Pudong and is also a member of the
Female Entrepreneurs Association. Her comments on using female charm when dealing
with men is reflected in Yang’s study, which suggested that women ‘can go a long way’ using
charm and that it can be used in place of material gifts. According to Yang, female
‘charm’ is not a discreet term for ‘sexual services’, but rather refers to the ability of
women to play on the attraction between the sexes, which in many cases is sufficient
reason for a man to assist a woman (Yang 1994:83). In some cases, men will send their
wives to request a favour on their behalf, seeing it as an effective means of gaining a
favour. While this method may enable women to expend less in terms of material or
financial resources, Yang argues that they actually ‘give up more of themselves than men’
(Yang 1994:84). Additionally, as the majority of big or important favours are asked of
men, they must ‘play up to male expectations’ to get the help they want (Yang 1994:84).
In response to the question of guanxi, some of the respondents replied in a way that
suggested a more ‘professional’ approach. By ‘professional’, I mean a demeanour that was
forthright, honest and straightforward rather than being pleasant and friendly (in other
words, non-threatening). Respondent B said that she did her best to be frank when
communicating with staff and colleagues, discussing her own thoughts, experiences and
ideas about ways for doing things. She felt that then she could gain everyone’s cooperation
in striving for a common goal. Participant D said that while networking was not necessary
but still important, the important thing was to resolve difficulties together. Participant E
replied that networking was important in the sense that one could use networking by
placing trust in others in the belief that they would trust her in return. She also spoke of
being upright and succeeding by learning from wisdom. Participant M said that she
received others’ ideas humbly, put forward her own professional abilities at appropriate
times and joined in after-work activities. Participant N responded that she strove to be
more active, do more and think more in her daily work.
However, participant H said that one of the negative aspects of guanxi was the practice
of speaking well to one’s superiors (haohua). She felt that it was the most negative aspect of
her work and that in her position of seniority she was often the receiver of others’
insincerity and flattery in an attempt to curry favour with her. While she understood that
it was a necessary part of workplace interaction and dynamics, she nevertheless resented
the extent to which people spoke against their true feelings. Her interpretation of haohua
implied that it was something she was impelled to do rather than something she did
naturally.
For the women in the survey, using guanxi and mixing with a wide variety of people,
often men, was not seen as negatively impacting on a woman’s reputation. In fact, the
ability to get along with people and having good social skills were seen as necessary
qualities, particularly in hospitality and trade careers, where working and mixing with a
variety of different people was mandatory. Except for the comments on flattery, I did not