Abstract
Changes in the structure of Chinese society in this century can be summarized in terms of a great increase in the size of productive units and a consequent decrease in the number of such units. Today, most Chinese are wage earners who live and work within the framework of large, bureaucratic organizations. Personal life is not only more secure than in the past, but more predictable and susceptible to rational planning. There are differences in income and and opportunities between organizations. An individual's standard of living and chances for mobility depend primarily on which organization he works for. Since the Cultural Revolution there has been a drive for increased equality and solidarity within organizations, along with pursuit of the goal of organizational self-reliance and self-sufficiency. If these goals are achieved, the result will be a society composed of autonomous cells. But problems of entrance into organizations and inequities among organizations and regions remain. These problems may be expected to generate further changes in the structure of Chinese society.
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