"socially, there's been a degradation"...a degradation from what? compared to when?

China was a feudal society for millenia, with a small aristocratic class and miserable peasants, was overpopulated, then went through the throes of war and revolution with millions killed and imprisoned. It was painful, as was industrialization in Europe and the Soviet Union, and much remains to be done, particularly in terms of corruption and environmental degradation, but the result was a better society for most, particularly women.

Are you comparing now to a short golden age a decade ago?