Vimbayi is the first African woman to be a news anchor on CCTV (China’s central TV). She has studied and worked in Beijing for four years. She agreed to share some insights into the world of work in China.
Tell me a bit about your background.
I am Vimbayi Kajese. Kajese is a small yellow bird. Vimbayi means to have faith. The day I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, the name of the hospital was changed from an English colonial name to “Mbuya Nehanda”. Mbuya Nehanda was a famous wise woman in Zimbabwe who predicted much of the unrest that would befall my people in later years. I take this as an auspicious sign.
You studied as a student in Beijing. What should be done to make the lives of foreign students in Beijing easier?
Foreign students from Africa in China need special Educational Insurance. For example when someone dies or gets married back home, in Africa you need two or three weeks at least to pay your respects properly. At the moment private individuals help students in this situation out, but it would be great if their Embassies in Beijing could be a focal point for this sort of assistance.
What is your educational background?
I studied Business and Women’s Studies in the US before coming to Beijing to study at the China Foreign Affairs University (also known as spy school) on a scholarship from Zimbabwe. This school is known as the cradle of diplomacy in China and has a very good reputation. It attracts students from around the world. For my first six months we studied Chinese and then I spent two years doing a Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy.
What is your professional background?
When I had graduated from school in Beijing I started work for an international PR company. During this time I became interested in Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR and I was a founding member of NGO, ethical edge with three friends. Recently I left the PR company and started working as the first news presenter for CCTV 9; this is the only English language channel for Central China television.
What is it like working in China?
This is a developing country and you have all the issues that go with that. Women for example are not equal in the workplace. They do not occupy enough management positions. Until they are economically empowered and put in conspicuous roles of authority, the type of development that takes place in China will be rather one (male) sided.
Women need to be more visible in politics. China doesn’t just need one token figurehead like Wu Yi; China needs to have female vice-presidents surrounded by a coterie of female advisors. You need to create these visible role models to incentivise other women to excel in education and aim high in their careers. Otherwise a patriarchal agenda of road and dam building will persist with a relative lack of focus on education and healthcare. Without women involved you get uneven development. I am from a developing country and I understand the repercussions of these issues.
The workplace is a microcosm of what is happening in the country at large. If there are no women in positions of power, you can create an unbalanced environment. For example career paths that are not in sync with women’s body; just when women are able to make their most valuable contribution to work, they are sidelined as ‘mothers’ because of inflexible working practices. It is a question of rights for women, but primarily it is an issue of commercial acumen. Staff retention necessitates flexible working practices which need to be initiated by female managers.
What do you think of the position of women in China?
Women in China are not considered as important as men. You can see it from the day of their birth when ‘a son’ is a greater cause of celebration than a ‘daughter’. China has global ambitions. It needs to be represented by both genders in the international arena if it is to be taken seriously.
The current status quo is not solely the fault of the men ‘oppressing’ women. Women buy into it. Women are often educated to act as second class citizen and to take a passive role. They are socialized into this role and then repeat the mistake by instilling a sense of superiority in their sons.
How has this had an effect in the world of work?
There are not enough women in management positions in big companies. However there many individual female dynamos who manage businesses on their own. Younger women need to see role models at the top. Lets start with the position of interns (e.g. summer students). It is often difficult for them to transition from the world of university where men and women are more or less equal to world of work where clients get offered karaoke girls. Summer students are sometimes ‘victims of the system’. They need to be schooled about the potential sexism traps that exist in business.
How would you advise a girl who was being hit on by her boss?
1. From the get go let the guy know that you respect he is a family man if he is married. Ask him ‘How is your wife, How is your daughter’ etc. Create professional distance. Keep him in his place.
2. If the Guy is still trying to get you into bed tell him flatly “You are not my type”. Chances are that he is thirty years older so just say “You look more like my Dad.” CEO’s are used to getting what they want so be direct. Boys from privileged patriotic backgrounds need to be told directly.
3. Tell him you are ‘not on drought and you don’t need him to bring in the rain’; e.g. Just say ‘I have a boyfriend’ and pull out picture of a young abs ripped guy to show that a gut enlarged older executive is not really your type.
4. Admire the ring on his finger and say ‘I would not want my boyfriend/husband sleeping with an intern’.
5. Don’t get drunk.
6. If there is a big age gap – say “I know I look really young – have you got pedophile tendencies or something?”.
7. If he persists record him on your mobile.
8. Working late is common in China. If you have to meet someone late at their hotel etc. invite a friend to attend the meeting with you and insist you meet in the lobby not their room.
9. Set limits on your conversation. If he makes ‘sex jokes’, he is probably just trying to test your boundaries. He is trying to pretend that he is someone you can relate to and therefore possibly sleep with. Don’t react to these jokes; make it clear that these topics are not up for discussion. This is someone who pays you do a job, not to be their “second wife.”
10. Pre-arrange your transport home. This just makes you look organized. Do not rely on him giving you a lift. Someone who is a boss one day, can be a stalker the next if they know where you live.
A bad experience can put an intern off work for life. In the current climate of high unemployment people are desperate for jobs and this is an increasing problem. However, if the intern sleeps with her boss she can get into a vicious cycle. Chances are that if the boss is hitting on you, he has slept with other interns. If you have a relationship and break up, you are the one that will lose your job, not him. You will just be a statistic.
If you sleep with this guy you are on sale for ‘not much’. He is probably sharing you with a few other karaoke queens too. Show self respect. Ultimately show him that you are just willing to walk away. A good sign off would be “I want to work for a company with a decent set of values. I cannot respect you in this environment. This company is oppressing me and I am not going to tolerate your behavior.” Show that you are happy to just leave.
This is just one job. The employment market is quite small and other opportunities open up to people who maintain a professional reputation. Social and professional lives are intertwined in China. The CEO’s have further to fall than you and will be likely to accept this attitude. If they lose face in one sphere (e.g. social), they simultaneously lose face in the professional sphere.
What should you do if you are assaulted by your boss?
If you are physically assaulted by a colleague do not be afraid to tell someone. A lot of people do not seem to understand that they have been raped in China. If the sex is non-consensual then it is rape. The man in question does not need to blacken your eye or there does not need to have been a struggle. Women have to learn to separate the biological reaction from the fact that they did not consent.
The first thing people should understand is that it is not their fault. Often the girl is just young and naïve and the guy is just old and predatory. You should report it to stop him doing this again. You should seek out a friend that you can trust who will:
1. Support not blame you;
2. Go and get the morning after pill within 72 hours at your pharmacy if you think there is risk of pregnancy;
3. Get tested at a clinic for risk of STD’s (sexually transmitted diseases); do this at the same place you go to get the pill as best to act promptly; and
4. Don’t take a shower. You may be able to gather forensic evidence if you go to the police or call a rape hotline (not sure if this exists in China).
What was your experience like at university with regards to the treatment of women?
At Kansas University (KU) where I did my undergraduate study, there as a playboy style ‘tits and ass’ calendar sponsored by the beer companies etc. It would feature all the ‘hot’ new students in a provocative pose with beach ball etc. and write one paragraph about their studies etc. Some students in the women’s study department decided to print an alternative calendar called “KU Women of Distinction”. Instead of profiling breast size it focused on more meaningful attributes. I was selected to represent a month as I had just come back from China and I was heavily involved in RVSS (Rape Victim Survival Services) as an advisor, and DPET (Diversity Peer Educational Training). Also I had received multiple scholarships. Ironically I had quite a few friends in the ‘hot’ calendar and one evening I was at a party with a few of these girls. Someone asked me what ‘month’ I represented and I enjoyed saying that I was not from that calendar but that I was ‘a woman of distinction’.
Does China need a ‘Women of Distinction’ calendar?
There are loads of wise women in China. I think that the China Calendar would need more than twelve months!
As seen in the Charitarian Issue 1 – January 2010
