ETYMOLOGY
Etymology Deep Dive: The term's meteoric rise correlates with China's She-conomy boom. Alibaba reports 65% of mid-level managers are now female. Like how 'boss lady' entered American lexicon, 女汉子 embodies this shift.
Cultural Paradox: A 2022 Pew Research study found Chinese millennials are 40% more likely than Americans to associate leadership with masculine traits. This explains why 女汉子 often describes career women, despite 89% surveyed wishing the term wasn't gender-linked.
Global Analog: Similar to 'career woman' in 1980s America - initially meant to empower, but sometimes used pejoratively. The difference? 女汉子 adds physicality elements, like praising a woman for 'carrying heavy equipment like a man' in user-generated content.
Example in Pop Culture: In the viral video '女汉子 vs 小仙女' (2023, 58M views), comedians satirize how society expects women to be 'dainty fairies' at home but 'iron ladies' at work.