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Women'sRolesinChina:ChangesOverTime
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BackgroundEssay
YinYuTangHouse
PropagandaPosters
Interview
FurtherResources

BackgroundEssay
Multimedia
Inadditiontotheactivitiesandprimarysourcesincludedinthiscurriculum,youmightalsobeinterestedinLeslieChang's
recentbookFactoryGirls:FromVillagetoCityinaChangingChina.FactoryGirlsexaminesthelivesof2womenworking
inafactoryinDongguan.InOctober2008,TomAshbrookofNPR'sOnPointinterviewedChanganddiscussedthe
womenwhomakeChina'sfactorieshum.
ListentoanNPRreport(RealPlayerfile)aboutFactoryGirlsandreadanexcerptfromthefirstchapter.

BackgroundEssay
Women'sRolesinChina
byCaraAbraham
ThefamilyhastraditionallybeenthebasicunitofChinesesociety,wherewomenhavelongbeenchargedwithupholding
society'svaluesintheirrolesaswivesandmothers.Whiletheexpectedvalueschangedfromtheimperialperiodtothe
Communistrevolutiontothemodernday,thisresponsibilityforwomenremainedconstant.Womenwererequiredto
balancesociety'sidealswiththerealityofraisingafamilyandmaintainingahousehold.
WomeninTraditionalChina
Throughouttheimperialperiodandintothebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,therelationshipamongfamilymembers
wasprescribedbyConfucianteachings.Thereveredphilosophersoughtorderintheancienttieswithinafamilyand
codifiedthepositionofthemalepatriarchasthesolearbiterforthefamilyunit.Allfamilymembersweresubordinatetothe
eldestmale,justasallloyalsubjectsweresubservienttotheCelestialEmperor.Thishierarchyalsodictatedrelationships
betweenahusbandandhiswifeandconcubines,afatherandhischildren,andanelderandyoungersibling.Marriages,
births,anddeathswereallaccompaniedbyritualsdesignedtoreinforcetheseunequalbutmutuallysupportiveroles.
Matchmakersusuallyarrangedmarriagesforthemutualbenefitofbothfamilies,oftenwithoutthepriorknowledgeor
consentofeitherbrideorgroom.Brides'familiespaidadowryandwomenweregivenarticlestosetuptheirhouseholds
andvaluablestomaintainthemiftheirhusband'sfamilydidnot.TraditionalChinesearchitecturereinforcedtheunequal
familialrelationships.Housesprotectedandshelteredthefamily,especiallywomen,fromoutsiders.Filialpiety(obligation
toone'sfamily)wastheoverridingsocialmoroftraditionalChina.
Thestatusofwomenwassetatbirth.Sonswerecherishedadditionstoafamily,notonlyfortheirphysicalandeconomic
abilitytocontributetothefamily,butalsoasthecarrierofthefamilyname.Onlyasoncouldprovideforhiselderlyparents
andproperlyveneratehisancestors.Daughterswereconsidereda"smallhappiness"becausetheywouldmarryinto
anotherfamily.Tomakeadaughtermoredesirabletoapotentialspouse,herfeetwerebrokenandboundtoproduce
threetofourinchstubssuitableonlyforteeteringaroundthehouse.Intimesoffamineordangerouswarfare,daughters
werethelasttobefed,andnewborngirlsweresmothered.Whilesuchsevereactionswererare,theydidoccurandlefta
lastinglegacyofdiscriminationagainstfemales.
WomeninRevolutionaryChina
Inthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury,thefamilyunderwentconsiderablechangewithrespecttofilialpietyandthe
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Women'sRolesinChina:ChangesOverTimeResourcesatPrimarySource,Inc.

positionofwomen.TheCommunistRevolutionsetouttodestroytraditionalfamilialbondsbyattackingtheFourOldsold
ideas,habits,customs,andcultureandbyelevatingwomentoanequalpositionascomradesinarms.Keystrategies
weretheuseofpropagandapostersandrepetitivecommunitymeetingstopurgeConfucianidealsfrompeople'sthoughts.
TheMarriageLawof1950outlawedmanyharshpracticesdirectedagainstwomen,includingarrangedmarriages,
concubinage,dowries,andchildbrides.Womenwerealsograntedtherighttofileforadivorce.Thesebeneficialchanges
forwomenembodiedallthattheCommunistPartywantedtoseeasnewinthe"new"China.
AstheChineseCommunistPartycentralizeditspower,women'srightsweresubjugatedtothegreatergoalofrunningthe
country.Womenoftenhadcontradictorygoalsplacedbeforethem.Theyenteredtheworkforce,butwerealsoexpectedto
havemanychildreninsupportoftherevolution.RedGuardsandotherurbanyouthwereoftenseparatedfromtheir
parentsandsenttothecountrysideasMao'swordsofwisdomreplacedthosetaughtathome.Acommonphrasewas
"Fatherisclose,Motherisclose,butneitherisascloseasChairmanMao."DuringtheCulturalRevolution,femininitywas
hiddenunderunisexclothing,andwomenwereoftenblamedwhentheysufferedsexualharassmentorabuse.The
populationexplosionplacednewburdensonwomen,includingtheirresponsibilityinadheringtotheonechildpercouple
policy.Girlsweretheimmediatevictimsofthispolicy,asmanyoftheirbirthswentunregistered,orworse,wereaborted.
Theeffectsofadvancedtechnology,suchasultrasounddetection,coupledwiththetraditionalpreferenceformale
offspringleftChinawithasignificantgendergapandthousandsofbachelors.
WomeninModernChina
TheeconomicreformsofthelasttwentyfiveyearshavealsoaffectedChinesewomen.Asguaranteedemploymentunder
thestatecontrolledeconomydisappeared,womenhavelostground.Bothmenandwomenhaveactivelysought
employmentoutsideandoftenfarawayfromtheirhomes.Today,migrationintocitiesfromthecountrysideisillegalin
China,yetmillionsofpeasantsarriveinurbanareaslookingforworkeachday.Manymigrantsareyoungwomenwhose
familiescannotprovideforthemintheirhomevillages.
Atthesametime,becausemanygirlsaresingletons,theyareshoweredwithalloftheirfamily'sresourcestoreceiveatop
notcheducation.Theynowcompeteforenrollmentinthebestuniversitiesandforemploymentinthemostcompetitive
companies.Womenareoftenwaitinglongeruntilmarriage,althoughtheirabilitytomarryultimatelydependsonthe
approvaloftheirworkunits.Acouplemusthaveapprovalfromtheseunitsbeforetheycanmarry,andmanypeoplein
Chinareceivehousingandhealthcarebenefitsfromthem.
ChinesewomenhavewithstoodincrediblepressurestoconformtotheidealsandnormsestablishedbytheChinesestate.
WhetheritwasConfucianvalues,revolutionaryMaoistideals,orthesearchforeconomicandeducationaladvancement,
womenhaveendurednumerouschangesastheybentwiththeprevailingpoliticalwinds.Whilepoliticalpolicieswere
oftencreatedbymen,womenhadsomecontroloverhowthesepoliciesplayedoutintheirdailylives.Althoughmany
womenwerepushedtoconform,somerebelledinsmallandlargeways.Throughoutthetumultuoustwentiethcentury,the
familyisstillthebasicunitofChinesesocietyandwomenarestillexpectedtobewivesandmothers.Manyelementsof
traditionalChineseculturesurviveandareinterwovenwithmodernarrangements.Familymembersdemonstratea
tremendousrespectanddeferenceforeachmember,especiallythoseintheeldestgeneration.Childrenarecherished.
Marriagesanddeathsaremarkedbyritualsthatdisplaytheimportanceofcontinuingthefamilylineage.Thenext
generationofwomenisseekinganewidentityinChina.TowhatdegreeChinesewomenwillretainthesetraditionsas
theycraftnewidentitiesintoday'sChinaisasensitivematterthatthenextgenerationofwomenwillneedtoresolve.

AbouttheAuthor
CaraAbrahamteachesworldhistory,AsianStudies,andAmericangovernmentatBrookfieldHighSchool.Hertripto
Chinain2001withYaleUniversity'sPIEROutreachwasthefirstoffour.ShehasworkedincollaborationwithPrimary
Sourcesince2003andhasbeenaresourceteacheronaChinastudytour,threesummerinstitutesandseveralseminar
series.Withherhusband,Michael,shehasauthoredfourchaptersinTheEnduringLegacyofAncientChina(2006)and
ChinaintheWorld(2009),sourcebookspublishedbyChengandTsuiincollaborationwithPrimarySource.

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