Many independent Chinese women like to earn their own bread, even if their husbands are already bringing home the bacon. But a recent survey suggests that such women find more joy from relationships, rather than successful careers.
    About 73 percent of the 7,000 women surveyed in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou said they would choose to work even if their husbands earned enough for the family. The survey also found that 77 percent define happiness as "enjoying a relationship".
    But striking a balance between career and family can bring challenges to the woman's career advancement.
    "In my company, women usually have an equal or even a higher starting salary than men," said Li Hua, general manager of Beijing Chuangjiashe Book Circulation Company. "However, as they begin to climb up the career ladder, women often meet problems along the way, while men can climb the ladder more easily."
    Both physical and emotional differences can prevent some women from taking tough positions, Li said. But family life is often the main difficulty for Chinese career women.