Jonathon Gerry
English 191
December 3rd,
2012
China’s Progression
with Women
One
of the biggest problems the world has always struggled with and still struggles
with to this day is Women’s Equality. For centuries, women have been oppressed,
discriminated, and abused because of the gender bias emphasized in society. All
across the world, women and their participation in society has progressed throughout
history. Women play a huge part in holding together their country and without
them everything would fall apart. One country that has made progressive steps over
time regarding their women is China. China went from an inferior view on women
to having them as a major aspect in their economic world. Women play a key
factor in the world and should not be taken for granted just because of the
gender.
China is a progressive country concerning women and their
role in the community. In ancient China, women were severely oppressed, abused,
and degraded no matter what class, from the lower class to the top of the chain
in the imperial family. Confucianism was one of China’s ancient teachings that
greatly influenced China’s perspective on life that took a huge toll on women.
An author by the name of Lyn Reese states the wide spread affect on Confucianism
teachings back then “For 2,500 years Confucian teachings have influenced the
thought and behavior of peoples in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam” (Reese). Confucianism
beliefs revolved around ideas that made women inferior to men. Such ideas
reflected in the women’s home, education, and society as a whole. For example,
back then women’s life centered around the household. As a wife, it was a
woman’s duty to take care of her husband and family. Rarely did a woman ever
leave the household because it was her responsibility to keep things in top
shape for her family and her husband when we got back from work. The only time
a women was superior was when she outlives her husband and was considered an
elder, so she gains the most respect out of anybody. Confucianism not only
affected women in their homes, but in their education as well. China back then
did not believe it was necessary to educate women because their place was not
in school, but at home. A quote from an online bibliography is able to
illustrate the struggle for women to get an education and it was not easy. The
quote states, “Some girls who had scholars as fathers
could learn from them, but female scholars were very rare”(“Ancient
China: Part 2”). Last, but not least, Confucianism
gave women a lower ranking in the hierarchy level. Women had lower positions
than men in every nearly every aspect of life and this was thought to be an
acceptable. Overall, because of the teachings of Confucianism, women were
thought to be inferior to men and were just as useful as being a housewife,
nothing more or less.
After
centuries of oppression and degradation, Chinese women finally took a stand for
themselves. One of the first steps China took for women happened in 1919, the
May Fourth Movement. During the May Fourth Movement women finally got a chance
for their voice to be heard and help mold the new era of China. During the May
Fourth Movement Chinese women got to do what was uncommon, “The cities newly
liberated women, 'modeng [modern]' girls who had been educated, became
a loud voice for further changes,” (Tse- Tung, and Mitter). Back then, having a
woman’s voice be heard in China was rare, but unfortunately this wasn’t enough
to give women equality. Even though the May Fourth Movement was being put into
act, it still didn’t bring equality between men and women in China and things
were still what they used to be.
With
the background being given of what it was like for women all across China, we
now go into a little bit more detail of what it was like for women back then in
China. One of the biggest factors that affected a woman’s social role in China
was her menstrual blood. In Women in
China, Wolf and Witke explains what it is meant by “One might hypothesize
that the power of menstrual blood is an expression or reflection of women’s
social role” (Wolf and Witke, 199).What it is being interpreted right here is
through a women’s menstrual phase is able to embed on women power and give her
a little bit more leniency in society. Women hitting their menstrual period
gave them a huge edge on their husbands because they now can fulfill their duty
in the family, produce children. Women tried to manipulate their husbands when
they hit this time because it could have a major impact on what a male holds
dear, “the family that grows from generation to generation without interruption
and without division” (Wolf and Witke, 200 ). Women took full advantage of that
dream of an “Ideal family” the male is trying to accomplish because they have
the ability to leave them, therefore destroying that dream. So women weren’t in
complete lack of control back then, but rather held their husbands dream in the
palm of their “belly.” Women could easily manipulate their husbands in doing
whatever they want because they have what most husbands want in this world, to
pass down the family generation.
It wasn’t until in 1949, China took one of its biggest steps
for women when the Communist Revolution brought Mao Zedong into power. Mao was
not only the founder of the People’s Republic of China, but also the push women
in China needed to move forward. Mao Zedong saw a lot more in women than what
the rest of China did and because of that he was able to give them the key to
unlock many doors women couldn’t go through. A quote stated by Mao himself
emphasizes the importance of women in society by stating “Women hold up half the sky” ("UWSISEA444").
This powerful statement by Mao shows his appreciation towards women by telling
everybody women should not be prohibited or limited from anything just because
of their gender.
With
Mao in power, in 1954, China Communist Party confirmed in the first
constitution that women get to become full citizens in China. In Article 91, it
gives a list of terms of where women have the same rights as men do. Such terms
were “women equal rights with men in all areas of political, economical, cultural,
social and domestic life” ("UWSISEA444"). The next step in Mao’s
process is to get everybody on board with the women equality.
When Mao Zedong gave women equal rights, he had plans for
them that would soon lead to his own demise. Mao believed that the only way for
women to earn their equality in society is through labor work. Mao Zedong did
believe women have a huge roll in holding the country together, but was he
really doing it for them, or just to put on a show? It turns out later in 1958,
Mao Zedong attempted to aid China economically with his master plan, the Great
Leap Forward. Mao put the Great Leap Forward into play in order to get China
ahead of the game in the economy compared to the rest of their opponents. What
Mao did was he took a lot of rural areas throughout the country provided that
land for industries, factories, power plants, etc.. This was a huge opportunity
for women to prove themselves and earn their rights among the men in the work
field. Not only did the industries provide women opportunity to work, but the
confidence, and rights as an individual in the community. Women started to work
everywhere now, “commune-run industries, water conservancy, afforestation, and
construction projects” ("UWSISEA444"). The Great Leap Forward was a
great idea and a great outcome for women to get out and prove themselves and to
finally become a part of the community.
Even
though the Great Leap Forward was looking positive for women in China, it was
taking a huge toll on the nation as a whole. Instead of the economy going
forward in China, it went backwards and took a big hit economically. As time
went on China was digging itself into a deeper hole, things got worse for women
in the work field. Soon the government was messing with the wages, such as “the
government implemented different wages from industry to industry, often
assigning a lower pay scale to “women’s” industries like textiles and
collective enterprises” (“UWSISEA444”). Pretty much what was happening was the
government was gender biased and started to give men more of an advantage in
the workforce compared to women. Back then, women were still seen as less
educated and physically incapable of working than men, so they were provided
lower wages and less job opportunities. As time went on millions of people
started to lose jobs, starting with women. The downfall from the Great Leap
Forward affected women mostly, as explained here, “declining industrial
investment in small neighborhood factories and bad harvests in the country
returned the job market back to male workers. When many nurseries, mess halls,
and other services were scaled down or abolished, large numbers of women lost
their jobs” ("UWSISEA444"). Soon enough, China returned to its old
traditions where women returned back home and worked.
After Mao Zedong dug himself in a hole with the Great
Leap Forward, which ended in 1961, the Cultural Revolution began in 1966. This
was a great rebound for not only the nation, but for women in China. During the
Cultural Revolution young women started to get more freedom and less pressure
of that entitlement of family responsibility that China’s old tradition
upheld. In 1967, a group of women called
“Iron Girl Brigades,” started to work in heavy industries proving to everyone
that women could handle heavy duty jobs men could handle. After proving
themselves, women started enrolling into critical jobs, such as “all-male jobs
such as oil drilling, repairing high-voltage lines, and building bridges.
Increasing numbers of women worked in heavy industry, joined the militia and
the PLA, and became technicians and assumed positions of leadership in the
textile factories. Half of all doctors and “barefoot doctors” in the
countryside were women” (E). The Cultural Revolution exactly the opportunity women
needed in China. During this time period women were allowed to step forward and
answer the call when and because they did, they have a better spot in China and
better opportunities.
One
of the most well known facts about China is their one-child policy. With the
one-child policy, China has created a “son- biased” imagery. Huge pressure is
placed on women to give birth to sons and because of that, there is an
abnormally high guy to girl ratio. This abnormal gender ratio began back in the
1950s when government officials realized the overpopulating size and tried to
regulate it. Unfortunately during that time was Mao Zedongs Great Leap Forward
plan and what he believed in was more man power. So what Mao influenced was an
increase the number of people to get them on board for working in order to dig
China out of the economic hole they got themselves into. With the Great Leap
Forward in play, steel plants sprouting up across China, causing mass
destruction throughout China. It finally reached to a breaking point of impact
in China that they had to find a way to control the vast population growth
occurring in their country. “With many communities
collectivized and converted from farming to steel production, food supply
slipped behind population growth; by 1962 a massive famine had caused some 30
million deaths” (E). After such a heavy loss on China, they decided to take
drastic measures and promote a slogan in decreasing the population size in 1969
during the Cultural Revolution. Eventually the government succeeded with
“China's population growth dropped by half from 1970 to 1976”( FitzPatrick). Then in 1979 the government tried to maintain a
population growth of zero until the 20th century by enforcing the
one-child policy. Evidence illustrated in this magazine shows the success of
the new policy established in China by stating “Since 1979, the law has
prevented some 250 million births, saving China from a population explosion the
nation would have difficulty accommodating” (FitzPatrick).With the one-child policy, only one child can be brought
up between a couple.
So
with the one-child policy, how does that influence a “Son-Biased” in Chinas
culture? Well because China valued males over females, parents only had one
shot to get a child and they would prefer
a son. If sons were preferred back then and a girl came up instead, a lot of female
infanticide took place so the couple could “get it right” the next time. This
sexual discrimination was well exemplified in China because they had the proper
technology such as ultrasound to distinguish whether the child the family is
about to give birth to is a boy or girl. After 1986, a huge gender imbalance
took a hold on China with the ratio of “32 million more boys than girls under
the age of 20”( FitzPatrick).
It wasn’t until 2002, when the Family-planning Law was established to give
unborn and born baby girls just as much of a chance as boys. The
Family-planning Law established the ground rules such as “banning the use of ultrasounds to determine the sex of a
fetus, and sex-selective abortions, as well as mistreatment and abandonment of
female infants, and discrimination against women who give birth to girls”
(“Gender
Equality in China”). With the new Family-planning Law, it
has slightly helped the gender imbalance in China, but still to this day sons
are preferred.
After
years have gone by, we now look where China is today in the world regarding women’s
place in society. A significant law that has been amended recently in 2001 by
China is the Marriage Law. Back then younger women did not have a say to choose
who their husbands were. With the new Marriage Law, it covers numerous areas in
not only women, but both genders. One of the rules inputted in society by the
Marriage Law is that marriage can only occur within certain age limits and that
both people got consent. Another thing the Marriage Law helps out along with
the Law on Protection of Women’s Rights both prohibit domestic violence. Such
actions are considered domestic violation towards the other party member stated
“encompassing beating, binding, maiming, forcible deprivation of personal
liberty, or other means resulting in physical or psychological injury to a family
member” (“Gender Equality in China”). This has helped controlled violence and aggressive
acts towards women in China and because of that their lives have been easier
and a lot less stress. Even in recent years, China still tries to aid women and
their rights with laws such as the Marriage Law and Law on Protection of Women’s
Rights. These laws are only mere foundations of what’s going to really help
women out later in the feature, but until then, these laws are what keep them
safe and secured from harm’s way in the world.
Women
equality has been a slow progressive process in the world that stills to strive
with to this day. For a long time women have been given an inferior view
towards men and have been given little credit for what credit is worth. China
has made progressive and regressive steps regarding their women throughout history.
Back then with early beliefs of Confucianism, women’s place was only at home
and had to place or responsibility for what men can do. With the help of Mao
Zedong influencing China to give women a chance in the work field and the “Iron
Girl Brigades” stepping up to the plate, women proved themselves. Now in today’s world of
China women play key roles in their community, such as nurses, teachers,
doctors, positions that were never allowed earlier on in China. China still has
ways to go with women in areas such as the “Son-biased” view and many more, but
comparing today from yesterday there is progress. Like Mao portrayed it as,
women play just as much as a part with men in holding up the sky, and without
them this world would not be able to sustain itself or be where it is today.
Cross
References
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