Individual and collective empowerment: Women's voices in the #MeToo movement in China

ABSTRACTIn the past, women had been inclined to remain silent in the face of sexual harassment and this article examines the case of Chinese women, who have been empowered by the global #MeToo movement to fight for social equality. Through interviews and observations, this study analyzes how this movement has empowered Chinese women both at individual and collective levels and motivated them to fight against sexual harassment. However, further challenges remain, such as reforming of outdated laws. Therefore, the study suggests an institutional level approach for the empowerment of Chinese women and aims to draw more attention to similar strategies for the empowerment of women in non-western contexts.