A university in China is facing backlash after suggesting that female students assist in cleaning boys’ dormitories as an act of “unity and friendship.” The educational institution, located in Wuhan, Hubei province, has received strong criticism online for proposing a “lottery” system to assign cleaning duties. The controversy came to light when a thread titled “Expose the school of my friend – are we living in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912)?” was posted on the Xiaohongshu social media platform on September 27.
The thread included an image of a slide outlining the requirements for student dormitory affairs at the school. One of the bullet points stated, “The problem of the boys’ dormitories is a headache, and we hope that all female students can work together to help improve the environment.”
The individual who posted the thread claimed that the initiative was suggested by a young female counselor. According to the counselor, one female student dormitory and one male student dormitory would be selected by lottery each week, with the female students helping to clean the male dormitory. The counselor stated that the idea aimed to promote “unity and friendship,” emphasizing that “female students probably don’t want to help, but we are all one big family.”
The slide also displayed other dormitory rules, such as an 11 pm curfew, the requirement to notify the school of weekend stays, and the use of facial recognition apps for dorm entry.
The thread sparked a heated online debate, with concerns raised about gender stereotypes. One commenter questioned why the counselor wanted girls to clean boys’ rooms, asking if boys were incapable of doing it themselves. Another person wondered if the school intended to impose the old morality code of the “Three Obediences and Four Virtues” on women.
Responding to the controversy, a male staff member from the university denied the stereotyping allegations in an interview with Hebei Radio and TV Station on October 8. He stated, “This cannot be true. Our dormitories have door controls. Female students cannot access male areas.” Another university staff member told Zhengguan News that an investigation into the allegations was underway and that a related document with verification results and corresponding measures would be released soon.
However, the narrative took a turn when a WeChat conversation, allegedly from a female student in the class, was exposed on Weibo. In the conversation, the student stated, “Our counselor is quite nice, she just pointed out that the boys’ dormitories are messy and suggested that female students come up with solutions together. It’s just a proposal, nothing mandatory, and we don’t need to help them clean. The main goal is to make the boys reflect and feel embarrassed so that they tidy up their rooms properly.”
The incident has raised concerns about gender stereotyping and sparked a broader discussion on social media platforms.
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Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
