Gender Relations in China and India - Essay Example

QUESTION Gender relations in China and India Gender relations establishes the roles of the different sexes within the populations of these two countries and more particularly how women were treated and viewed in the different cultures (Wang and Theodore, 7). It is of a general view that women played second fiddle to men in most countries and movements have been created in order to establish equity between the males and females. Over the last century, these movements have yielded much ground and have at least given the women some of their basic rights. They have increasingly gained the rights to participate in elections, obtain education and even to be actively employed in the male-dominated corporate sectors. In china, looking back historically, women underwent much degradation and prolonged oppression from the society as they were viewed as being lesser than their male counterpart. They never had equal rights as men, both in the social, political and economic spheres of the society. In this regard, the women become economically dependent and were never accorded any property or inheritance rights with no possession of an independent income source. Socially, the women were forced to subordinate to their fathers, husbands and sons, obey their fathers before marriage, and after marriage, their husbands and their sons in case they became widows. They had no rights in marriage and were forced to do odd and less important jobs. These marriages in the ancient times were arranged and were not in any manner dependent on the couple’s decisions. Once the females had moved into the marriage, they would then be denied any marital freedom with their task restricted to carrying out the household chores such as cleaning, preparing meals and looking after their children (Wang and Theodore, 19). Theirs was the manual labor in their homes. They never had too the right to education and to participate actively to social activities. The ancient Chinese never considered it serious to educate the females, and this had made their illiteracy levels very high. They underwent the retrogressive culture of polygamy and prostitution that tortured them mentally. For a growing young girl, one’s foot had to be bound on something too that affected their social lives, in order for them not to run or practice other customs. Males, on the other hand, were treated differently and with respect in the society. The male children were treated accordingly by their families as they were regarded as a gift from their gods. In the whole society setup, bearing of sons was much-preferred than the bearing of daughters and in fact at the time female mortality rates were higher than their male counterparts. Women became under pressure to bear sons as were regarded as part of family lineage as opposed to daughters who became the property of their husbands and mothers-in- law once they were married. It was more of an interest for the parents to invest more in their sons’ futures because of their guaranteed returns as opposed to investing in their daughters’. This considered, was part of the reason as to why they were despised and never treated fairly as compared to the sons. The women struggle was first highlighted by the western powers and their liberation founded through a political revolution. Both these gender relation issues and the family structure have undergone numerous changes since the emergence of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It is worth noting that revolutionary movement created by the Communist Revolution played a vital role making the changes. With this movement and other later revolutions, women have been liberated and like their male counterparts, have become the architects of their country’s prosperity. In China, as it is constituted currently, women enjoy equal rights as with their male counterparts. Their laws guarantee that they enjoy the same rights as their men with an equivalent personal dignity (Wang and Theodore, 51). Institutions and organizations have been put in place to ensure that this discrimination is eliminated. In addition, laws too have been passed expanding the role of women in the modern Chinese society. However, although there are still some elements of discrimination, this has been achieved to greater lengths. The women have since became a viable input in the country’s technological, cultural and ideological advances making major contributions in the different economic and social sectors. The roles and status of women in china in the different spheres of the society include, but not limited to the following: Women as political leaders: Women have equal rights to vote and stand for elections just as their male counterparts. Through various means, they are also able to administer both the social and state affairs. Women’s role in marriage: Currently in China, women enjoy equal rights with the man when in a marriage relationships. They act as co-bread winners of the family and also have special protection in relation to divorce. Women as workers: The Chinese government has given provisions for female workers in the country. The principle of equal pay for equal work is operational for both genders. The country also boasts of having top female directors and managers of different organizations and government institutions. Women as educators: Women have been able to go to schools and attain education. There are, as a result, many women scholars and teachers in the country who in various aspects have been viewed as role models. In the Indian context, the gender relations and with particular focus to the status and roles of women, has undergone great changes over the centuries. Historically, women were highly regarded and respected; when a female was born in India, it was believed that this was a mark of arrival of the Goddess of wealth and riches. In ancient times, women in India had equal rights as that of men, and this changed within the medieval period after their invasion by the Muslims. Before this invasion, The Indians, in their Hindu religion, accorded important and equal positions to their women like their men. In the ancient Hindu scripture for instance, the participation of a wife was crucial for their religious rites, no rite would be carried out perfectly by a man without his wife’s participation. With the Muslim invasion, all these changed and the women were denied their rights of equality with their male counterparts. The women position in the society deteriorated continuously. With the introduction of the Muslim religion and practices, the women were confined to certain aspects of life and were never allowed to exploit their full potentials. Some of these practices involved included the sati, jauhar, purdah and devadasis. These practices were so retrogressive and were done to subjugate the women’s position in the society. The purdah, for instance, required the women to cover and conceal their skins and form from men, and this served to restrict the women of their mobility and right to freely interact. It served further in subordinating the women to their men. In this transition, the women were regarded as commodities which could be sold. In fact, these Muslim practices allowed men to marry several wives and divorce them at will. The role played by women in the society later improved in the Raj era after inspiring a movement against oppression of women by the men. This was enhanced by the British influence on their culture and civilization. Upon a spirited fight and leadership of one Mahatma Gandhi, their equity with their men was restored, and they were able to come out of their houses and participate actively in all the spheres of life. The Indian constitution too has laid this clearly, prohibiting any form of discrimination against the women and providing for equality in the provision of opportunities. This has been achieved both in the political field and the employment sectors, opening up professions both to the female and the males. With this new phase of the evolved Indian societal setup, women have become actively involved in various spheres and had to an extent contributed to the economic and social advancement of the Indian people (Wang and Theodore, 77). Although this has been provided; there has been a drawback in this system and this has been evidenced by actions such as acid throwing involving females, frequent child marriages, domestic violence, dowry payment, rape and sexual harassment. Most of these drawbacks have been experienced because of factors including but not limited to: High percentage of women being illiterate The geographical location throughout the country Economic and religious reasons The patriarchal system of the society Majority of women being ignorant of their rights As with the China scenario, the different roles of the women in the society have included: Women as teachers: Women have become the best teachers for children in the kindergarten schools for a country where most of its people living in the rural areas are still illiterate. They best understand the children’s’ needs better than their male teachers. Women in the medical field: Most women have been able to undergo the education system and emerged as some of the best doctors in the country. They too make the lots of nurses in the country hospitals. Women as political leaders: Women have also played the leadership roles and steered the country towards economic excellence. An example is Indira Gandhi, who served as Indians prime minister, who marked her place in history as the longest serving prime minister. In addition to these roles, women in this country have successfully served as orators, administrators, lawyers, politicians and diplomats. The similarities derived from the two countries about the roles and status of their women span to their historical backgrounds and their evolutions, some of which includes: Anciently, women being regarded as subordinate to their men and having the sole purpose of taking care of their families and carrying out the household chores. Due preference being made in having male children as opposed to having female children in their ancient practices. In both countries, after the freedom struggle in India and a political revolution in China, women have been accorded equal rights as their male counterparts and this has been enshrined in the constitution. In both countries, women are continually taking roles and political positions that anciently were male dominated and excelled in the same. Work cited Wang, Hui, and Theodore Huters. Chinas New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2003. Print. Read More