Chinese women essay

Introduction

Women are oppressed in China because they are viewed as inferior humans. They endure agony, such as foot binding, which causes them great pain. Women’s life were improved as a result of the Maoist revolution, which Mao Tse-Tung led. Women had mostly attained their goal of suffrage, and it was during this time that they began to join the workforce, mostly as military women. The capitalist leadership of Deng Xiaoping observed the revival of issues from pre-communist society after Mao’s tenure. Under the rule of Deng Xiaoping China has become a free market economy with an improvement of the standards of living. This paper will begin by examining the oppression that was carried out against women in the pre-communist era. It will progress to discuss the Maoist revolution under Mao Tse-Tung and how the communist party transformed the lives of women in the Chinese society today. The communist party under Mao has been criticized for employing various tactics in ruling the people; in some instances, he succeeded while in others he failed. Among Mao’s success stories is the transformation of women where women became more empowered to make their decisions. The paper will proceed to assess what became of women after Mao and the state of their lives today.

Oppression of Women During the Pre-Communist Era

During the pre-communist era, there were several forms of oppression; foot binding was a form abuse which was practiced as a custom in the Chinese society. It was practiced mainly by the wealthy in society, and later the peasants also adopted the practice. When a girl turned three, the mother would wrap her feet using bandages in a manner that all the toes except the big toe were pushed under the sole. The main aim of this practice was to keep the feet smaller where the heel and the big toe were brought together. This practice hindered free movement, and in many instances, the feet could rot, bones were broken, and toes dropped. The foot binding ritual was considered necessary for women to be eligible for marriage and the required length of the feet was three inches. When a woman was ready for the wedding, the first thing that the groom’s family would look at is the bride’s feet. The mother-in-law to the bride to be would lift up the girl’s skirt, and if the feet were more than four inches long, the mother-in-law would throw down the skirt in a demonstration of disapproval and stalk off. Women would hobble around with their three-inch feet which were believed to have an erotic effect on men who were touched by the women’s helplessness. Later in life, the bandages bound on women’s feet could be removed, but the pain that the women encountered was still severe.

Control of Women by Men

Another form of oppression was the relationship that women had with the men. Women had few choices on the roles that they could play which were limited to those of wife, prostitute or concubine which were all less desirable. Women had no control over her life and decision made by her husband were her own. As a wife, women were forced to submit to her husband’s family bowing before them every morning. The woman would also submit to the spouse’s other wives he had any. Women were expected to carry out all the domestic chores like looking after the household, sewing, cooking, flower arrangement and above all to obey without raising any questions.

Prostitution and Abuse

Prostitution was a form of oppression which was practiced by parents to the girls. During the late 1940’s Chinese economy went through a great depression but one form of trade was flourishing: trading of young girls for prostitution. Cities were full of beggars who offered their girls in exchange for food. These poor parents preferred their children to be prostitutes than to die. The treatment given to the prostitutes was worse than that of wives and concubines. When Japan occupied Nanking in 1938, they also used prostitutes in comfort houses and these prostitutes were referred to a ’public toilets. During this period, many women starved to death while others committed suicide.

The Maoist Revolution and Progress for Women

Mao’s leadership started in 1945 which brought about change on women’s status and their general well-being. Mao’s idea of equality for all the women in China fit into his ideology for all the affected people of China. Mao believed that the four authorities that perpetrated the feudal-patriarchal system in China included the political, religious, clan and masculine authorities. These authorities were the binding ropes from the liberation of the people of China. It was important for Mao to overturn these authorities to achieve his set objectives. During the Great Leap Forward, Mao saw the importance of mobilizing women into the workforce to catch up with the western technology. During that time, the high population of Chinese women was seen by Mao as a crucial resource for China’s advancement: to achieve this; the women needed equality so as to be utilized in the work force. Education was also critical in ensuring that the women became empowered.

Improvements in Women’s Lives Under Mao’s Leadership

In the early 1800’s Confucian scholars had appealed for considerations for women rights. For the greater part of the 20th century, foot binding had disappeared, but the communist’s continued to pressure for increased women rights. According to Manning, Mao introduced a new marriage law, outlawed arranged marriages and purchase of marriage contracts; this law encouraged people to choose their partners freely (576). The process of divorce was made easier which was to be granted upon the request of either spouse. Mao was concerned with placing more obligations and responsibilities of divorce on men who would help in protecting the interests of women. Many people pledged not to acquire wives through arranged marriage or the ritual of foot binding. Married women were assured of their right to divorce and manage their lives. The unmarried women were given an assurance that they would not be sold into marriages or forced into an arranged marriage. Neighbors scolded wife beaters, and child marriage was prohibited.

Women’s Liberation Under Mao’s Leadership

Prostitution was banned, and pro-communist men would storm a town and command the release of all prisoners and the shutdown of all pawn shops and brothels. Mao forced the prostitute owners to pay their prostitutes six months living allowance after the closure of the brothels. Mao’s leadership stressed on equality between men and women and power was to be shared equally. A women federation was formed and it was dedicated to women affairs. This federation was in the forefront in advocating for the closure of brothels as well as setting free all the concubines. The success of Mao’s reign is seen in his involvement of women to fight for their rights as well as remediating situations which women were forced into without their approval. Women were encouraged new things that they had never done before like entering the workforce and becoming officials of various organizations or running industries. The total number of women in the labor force increased from 600,000 in 1949 to about 50 million in the modern day China (Dikôtter 15). The independence and self-confidence of women were improved tremendously and they were offered new education opportunities to enhance their knowledge base. The value of women increased and they were no longer seen as reproductive organs.

The Impact of Deng Xiaoping’s Leadership on Women’s Rights

Deng Xiaoping took over power after the death of Mao Tse-Tung. Deng Xiaoping was a capitalist leader who moved China to a free-market economy. The standards of living have continually increased which has come with the resurgence of pre-communist problems afflicting women. China has become a male-dominated society combined with sexist features that are common in western nations. Advertisers have achieved their advertising goals by using young girls who are dressed scantly. Prostitution and pornography are rampant in modern-day China where men hire beautiful girls as playthings. The economic value of Chinese women cannot be underestimated but they are facing deep-rooted discrimination particularly in the workplace. The only jobs that women can secure are the undesirable jobs. The educational opportunities for women have continually decreased and only a third of all the students in Chinese universities are female.

Exploitation and Abuse of Women in Modern-Day China

Another negative aspect of Deng Xiaoping’s leadership is the fact that women are considered as a commodity which can be traded. From 1980’s men moved to the rural areas and tricked girls that they would be offered a job in the factories in the city (Christiansen 201). These girls would fall for this trick and once they were on the bus, they would be raped and beaten mercilessly. The girls would be made to feel unclean, and they were informed that no man would be willing to marry them. These girls would be dumped in a village where there are no women qualified for marriage. These women would then be sold to the highest bidder and become captives. If the women tried to escape, their husbands would beat them up and blindfold them to prevent them from escaping. The dignity of these women was highly disregarded and the government of this time did nothing to fight for these oppressed women.

Female Infanticide and Gender Imbalance

Female infanticide is another type of injustice that has emerged in modern-day China that reverses the communists’ feminist laws. Abortion was banned in 1949 after which the subsequent census showed no sharp decrease in the number of infant girls until 1980. From this time onwards, there has been a marked decline in infant babies which can be attributed to the family planning laws which were meant to regulate the population. It is a requirement that each couple should get one or two children only. Couples who could adhere to this law risked paying fines, their houses knocked down or being sterilized. In the Chinese household, a male child is more desirable than the girls because of many reasons which include: family lineage is passed down the generation through men, and male children do better in fieldwork.

The Impact of Technology and One-Child Policy

Wong (141) points out that the new technology in China is working against the girls and reversing the progress achieved by the communist party. The use of ultrasound scanners enables the determination of unborn child’s gender. Upon finding out that the fetus is a girl, many couples would request for an abortion. The one-child policy has had an adverse impact on China’s population. This system saw the rise of the level of abortions procured in China. There is need to reverse this situation to increase the number of girls. There is a likelihood of having a high rate of unmarried men in China because there are no girls to marry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the communist rule in China had a positive impact on the status of women. Before communism, women were seen as mere objects of pleasure and vessels for carrying life. They underwent some rituals which were excruciating and demeaning. They were humiliated through constant beating and forced into marriages that they never desired. Mao’s rise to power saw the liberation of women and achievement of equality. Women were freed from foot binding, forced marriages, prostitution, child marriage, and spousal abuse. Women acquired an education and occupied different ranks in the factories. Although Mao made other inferior decisions as a leader, he was successful in changing the laws and customs which were detrimental to women. The loss of power by the Communist party saw the former leader Deng Xiaoping ascend into power which became the beginning of all the problems of the pre-communist era. Women are used as objects of pleasure, sold as brides, denied job opportunities, and infant babies are killed. Due to this fact, therefore, the future of Chinese women is uncertain.

Works cited

Christiansen, Flemming. “The Geography of Contemporary China. The Impact of Deng Xiaoping’s Decade.” Journal of International Development, vol. 3, no. 2, Apr. 1991, pp. 201-203. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=18328688&site=ehost-live.

Dikôtter, Frank. “The Cultural Revolution a People’s History.” History Today, vol. 66, no. 9, Sept. 2016, pp. 10-19. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=118031298&site=ehost-live.

Manning, Kimberley Ens. “Making a Great Leap Forward? The Politics of Women’s Liberation in Maoist China.” Gender & History, vol. 18, no. 3, Nov. 2006, pp. 574-593. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0424.2006.00456.x.

Wong, John. “Xiao-Kang: Deng Xiaoping’s Socio-Economic Development Target for China.” Journal of Contemporary China, vol. 7, no. 17, Mar. 1998, p. 141. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=385812&site=ehost-live.