Women hold up half the sky.
This is an old Chinese saying. I wonder what hold up mean here. hold up is a phrasal verb, meaning *to remain strong or successful. Nevertheless, in the example, this sense does not seem to work. Perhaps we do not have a phrasal verb here. What does the sentence mean exactly?
P.S.
In Macmillan Dictionary, there are five senses for hold up:
hold something high
prevent someone/something from falling
cause a delay
steal by threat of violence
stay in good condition
I think in this context the sense prevent someone/something from falling works flawlessly.
Best Answer
I think that in this sentence hold up means the same as support, carry or shoulder the weight. The sky is above us and it takes, metaphorically, a lot of work to keep it up there.
Compare with Atlas from Greek mythology, condemned to hold up all of the heavens by himself.
Mao used this saying in one of his speeches, commending women for their role in building/running the society. Anyway, the meaning is just that. Women amount to half the population and hence half the workforce. People entertaining traditional gender roles may occasionally forget this, and this saying is an eloquent reminder.