Conditional Female Agency in Chinese Media: Intersecting Gender, Class, and Consumerism

Abstract

Post-socialist China provides a paradoxical context for women, where economic independence is promoted even as traditional gender norms endure, shaped by class stratification and consumerist values. Drawing on intersectional feminist theories (Crenshaw, McRobbie, Banet-Weiser), this paper analyses the 2017 TV series The First Half of My Life by tracing protagonist Luo Zijun’s transformation from dependent housewife to “independent” professional through character dialogue, visual semiotics of costume and setting, and cultural context. The analysis shows how the series frames female empowerment through neoliberal ideals of consumption, professional self-reinvention, and class-based mobility, while Zijun’s apparent success remains profoundly conditional. Her ascent depends on class privilege and elite social capital, which undercuts the narrative of self-made agency. Juxtaposing Zijun with her professional friend and working-class sister further reveals how patriarchal expectations cut across class, while meaningful upward mobility remains tied to elite networks. Overall, the study argues that the series simultaneously critiques patriarchy and endorses commodified, consumer-driven notions of empowerment, challenging simplistic empowerment narratives and demonstrating how female agency in contemporary Chinese media is shaped by class-based conditions.