‘Do boys have no hands?’: Anger over stereotypes as woman counsellor at China university asks girls to help clean boys’ dormitories

A university in China is in hot water after it suggested that female students help clean boys’ dormitories in what it described as an act of “unity and friendship”.

The educational institution in Wuhan, in the central Chinese province of Hubei, has drawn sharp criticism online after it suggested a “lottery” system for cleaning living quarters.

On Sept 27, someone posted a thread titled, “Expose the school of my friend – are we living in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912)?” on the Xiaohongshu social media platform.

The post included a picture of a slide outlining requirements for student dormitory affairs at the school.

One of the bullet points said: “The problem of the boys’ dormitories is a headache and we hope that all female students can work together to help improve the environment.”

According to the poster’s friend, the initiative was suggested by a young female counsellor.

“Every week, one female student dormitory and one male student dormitory are selected by lottery, with the female students assisting in cleaning the male dormitory,” the counsellor said.

She added that the idea was aimed at spreading “unity and friendship” saying: “Female students probably don’t want to help, but we are all one big family.”

Other dormitory rules shown on the slide included an 11pm curfew, the need to notify the school if students were staying out for the weekend and the use of facial recognition apps to enter dorms.

The post has sparked a fierce online debate and heightened concerns about gender stereotyping.

One online observer said: “Do boys have no hands? Does this counsellor love men too much? Why do you want girls to clean rooms for boys? Does the crown prince need a maid at home and at school?”

“Is the school trying to make women adhere to the old morality code of the ‘Three Obediences and Four Virtues’?” another person asked.

As controversy raged, on Oct 8, a male member of staff from the university rejected the stereotyping claims in an interview with Hebei Radio and TV Station.

“This cannot be true. Our dormitories have door controls. Female students cannot access male areas,” he said.

Another member of university staff told Zhengguan News that the allegations were under investigation.

“A related document will be issued soon, which will include the verification results and the corresponding measures for handling the situation,” the second staff member said.

The narrative took a twist after a WeChat conversation, suspected to be from a female student in the class, was exposed on Weibo.

The student said: “Our counsellor 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.” – South China Morning Post