This is more than a training program—it's a glimpse into how technology is transforming women's lives across China, enabling them to innovate, lead and shape their own futures.

Tech empowerment 

In the tide of digitalization, the power of women is being unleashed.

Besides the Homestay Butler Training Program, the "Cyber Mulan" initiative also includes the "Jiayou Mulan" project—with jiayou basically meaning "go for it!"—and the "AI Dou" project. The initiative focuses on providing basic protection as well as employment opportunities for women's development. 

At the Forum on Women in AgriFood under the 2025 World AgriFood Innovation Conference held in Beijing on October 14, Wang Xiaojing, Vice President of the Sustainable Development Department of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group and Secretary General of the Ant Foundation, the independent philanthropic arm of the Group, introduced the "Jiayou Mulan" project. The project uses blockchain technology to provide free insurance for disadvantaged women in underdeveloped regions. Claims are processed within three to five working days following online submission—much faster than traditional methods. To date, the project has benefited women in 62 counties across 18 provincial-level regions, with over 5.59 million insurance packages distributed.

The "AI Dou" project trains women in AI-related skills, enabling them to work close to home. As of late 2024, it had established 16 county-level digital employment centers, helping over 7,500 people find a job—70 percent of them women.

When empowered by technology, women not only transform their own lives but also strengthen their communities.

"When you provide women with knowledge, resources and technology, you are not only helping them but also helping their communities. There is evidence that shows women, when making decisions, take into account their communities. They also consider the long-term, sustainable effects of their projects," Karen Martinez, Strategic Planning Specialist at the Center for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, told Beijing Review.

Take Beijing's Mentougou District as an example: A local cooperative has adopted a mentorship model in which women skilled in new technologies lead peer groups. They produce short training videos to make learning accessible anytime and anyplace, helping members gain both confidence and a sense of solidarity. 

"They do this because they understand that when everyone has more income and when everyone shares this income, the entire community, including themselves, is going to be better equipped to fight food insecurity or climate change," Martinez added.

More and more women are taking on the role of scientific innovators, actively shaping the future.

Launched in April 2021 by the All-China Women's Federation, the Ministry of Science and Technology and five partner departments, the Women's Action for Scientific and Technological Innovation framework utilizes the expertise of female scientists and engineers. The program motivates them to be at the forefront of China's drive for technological self-sufficiency and its mission to become a world-leading sci-tech powerhouse.

Female researchers now make up 45.8 percent of all sci-tech personnel, according to a white paper released in September, titled China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era. From pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou, the first scientist from the Chinese mainland to receive a Nobel Prize in a scientific category and the first Chinese woman to receive any Nobel Prize, to numerous recipients of the L'Oréal–UNESCO Award for Women in Science, these achievements showcase the pioneering contributions of women in driving sci-tech progress.

Filling the gap 

However, as technology creates new opportunities, it also introduces challenges, making related legal frameworks and supportive policies essential.

Li Yumei, a professor of law at China Agricultural University, told Beijing Review that technology can deepen social inequality, for instance through the digital divide and algorithmic bias. At the socio-cultural level, persistent gender stereotypes and biases—including separating students into different educational tracks or pathways at a relatively young age, discrimination in classrooms and the lack of targeted educational support—remain barriers for women trying to carve out a career in tech.

"The legal framework should guide the technology sector toward promoting gender equality. It is essential to improve social security legislation, build an individual-based social protection system and explore flexible mechanisms for social insurance. Meanwhile, legislation should incentivize women's participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The success of this framework depends on fairness, efficiency and cross-sector coordination," Li added.

These challenges are not limited to China—similar gaps exist globally, prompting international collaborations to bridge technological divides.

Agnes Kalibata, President Emeritus of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, told Beijing Review that while technology is becoming more accessible, rural outreach remains a challenge. She highlighted China-Africa collaborations in agricultural innovation and market development, noting that Chinese technology centers have brought new opportunities to African farmers.

Through close cooperation with other countries, China is helping accelerate the creation of an international environment conducive to women's development and a better world for all. According to the white paper on China's achievements in women's well-rounded development, China consistently sends high-level delegations to the sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and collaborates with UN organizations and agencies to conduct seminars on women's poverty reduction, the digital economy, inclusive finance, technology empowerment, and gender equality amid demographic changes, sharing China's experience in promoting women's development.

"These are examples China can offer to other countries. I think they contribute directly to the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Advancing gender equity has ripple effects into different sectors like health, livelihoods, education and others, so it directly impacts the goals," Martinez concluded.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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