The Economic Change Influenced Relationships between Men and Women in China since the Mao Death - Assignment Example

HOW THE ECONOMIC CHANGE HAS INFLUENCED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN CHINA SINCE THE DEATH OF MAO Name Professor Course Date How the Economic Change Has influenced Relationships between Men and Women in China since the Death of Mao China in the beginning was one of the advanced and also a more powerful nation before the arrival of Europeans in the Asian region (Allès, E2005). For instance during those days, China had a high population with outstanding political unity plus also a well-developed system of agricultural activities taking place. However after the landing of Europeans on the shores of Chinese, they got a nation that was recovering from tradition culture and also effects of war. During this time, there was no any activity taking place in the country related to industrialization. At the start of 20th Century, there was the division of China into spheres with influences coming from the West, who were, in this case, trying to exercise their authority in the country as much as possible. In this regard, Chinese had to resent the foreigners power or authority over them and indeed heeded to this instance during the start of 20th Century from the effects of Boxer Rebellion (Zhong, 2000). Similarly, the Chinese traditional government during this time began to crumble especially in the early years. The fact that Chinese became resentful to the foreigners added with the inability of reigning government during this time resist the foreigners indeed led to the revolution witnessed in the year 1911. Consequently, it is this revolution that replaced the long lasting 2000-year-old imperial system with the Republic of China under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen. Due to this regard, the paper will focus on how effect of the on relationship between men and women in the country after the death of Mao who was also one of the prominent leaders of China after revolution period. Even from the traditional times, family is always the basic unit of the Chinese society where for instance women have the duty in ensuring the upholding of the values of the society apart from performing their roles as mothers and wives. Though much of these values changed after the imperial period because of the Communists revolution against the modern day, the same responsibility of woman however never changed at all (Honig and Hershatter, 1988). For example, it was the duty of the women to ensure the balancing of the ideals of society with also factoring the reality of raising the family and also ensure the maintenance of household requirements. During the times of the imperial period and also in the early days of the twentieth century, Confucian teachings were the tool that described the relationship among the family members. For instance, it was the duty of a revered philosopher to seek an order that related with ancient ties within a family and also confided in the position of the male patriarch who was the sole arbiter for the family unit. In this regard, the rest of the family members were all answerable to the eldest male the same way the other loyal subjects had to obey the Celestial Emperor. At the same time, it was this hierarchy that also dictated the relationship that existed between a husband and a wife and also the concubines (Whyte, 1985). The instance also does not forget the father plus the children and the younger and the elder siblings. On top of this, marriages, births and even deaths all had rituals that accompanied them with the intention of reinforcing the inequality but to put in place first the supportive roles. In this case, the matchmakers played their part of arranging for marriages primarily for enhancing the mutual benefit of both the families. However, these plans took place without the knowledge or even the consent of either the bride or the groom. During this occasion, the payment of the dowry came from the family of the bride while the women received articles that were to assist them in starting a new life in their houses. Added to this, the same women also received valuables to sustain them in the event that their prospective husband fails their duties. Traditional Chinese architecture played a great role in the reinforcement of the unequal family relationships. For example, they ensured the protection and sheltering of the family especially women hailed from outside (West, 1999). In this regard, the obligation to one’s family was more overriding the social much more in the traditional China. In the traditional China women's status started from the birth period. Sons on their part received cherishment as a plus to the family not only for their physical but also their power to contribute economically to the family and also to ensure the continuity of the family's name. For example, it was the son that could provide for the elderly parents and also proper veneration of his ancestors altogether (West, 1999). On the other hand, daughters earned the consideration of bringing small happiness since they would enhance the instance through a marriage with other families. On top of this, with the objective of making the daughter more desirable in becoming a potential spouse, there was the breakage of her feet. The instance took place with the belief that it aimed at the production of three to four-inch stubs that, in this case, was preferable in teetering all over the surrounding of the house. During the seasons of famine or even the circumstances of war, it was the daughters that got the last feed while the newborn girls received some smothering activities on them. Though it was very rare for such actions to occur, when they occurred, they indeed left a history that concerns with the discrimination women or females in the Chinese society. Most families had considerable changes concerning filial piety and women's position during the second half portion of the twentieth century. For instance, the Communist Revolution came with the objective of do away with the traditional familial bonds through the attack on the Olds--old ideas, habits, customs, and culture (Attané, Quinlin, Shuzhuo, Xueyan. and Guilmoto, 2013). The same instance also included the elevation of women to the same position that comrades had with themselves in their arms. On the same note, there were also major strategies that entailed the use of propaganda posters and other repetitive meetings in the community that lead to Confucian ideas from many thoughts from people. According to the Marriage Law of 1950, it for instance never allowed for such harsh practices that targeted the women such as planned marriages, concubines, dowries and also brides for children. Women also had the right to file for divorce (Louie, 2002). In this regard, the beneficial changes from women resembled all from the Communist Party, who had the desire to the new developments in the new China. Women rights indeed had the subjugation to the greater goal of managing China after the Chinese Communist Party came into power. Women during this period had goals those contradictory goals before them (Louie, 2002). For instance, they got into the workforce apart from the expectations on them to give birth to many children who could offer support to the revolution. Similarly, Red Guards and the youth from urban centers did not mix with their parents since they had to stay in the countryside following Mao's words of wisdom that in this case acted as a replacement of those home teachings. There was a belief that both the father and a mother had a close relationship with their children though was not as close as compared to Chairman Mao. In the period of Cultural Revolution, cases of femininity did not feature since the unisex clothing kept them hiding. On the same note, women received blames at the times they went through sexual violence. Likewise, the drastic rise in population led to the development of new burdens especially on women such as the responsibilities of giving birth to one child per couples which in the end became a law in the country (Louie, 2002). In this regard, girls became the most affected lots due to the introduction of this policy since most of their berths were not within the records or worse still got aborted (Milwertz, 1997). Also, the results brought by the advancement in the technology such as the ultrasound detection plus the traditional preference for male child indeed made China to have a remarkable gap in gender and also the emergence of many bachelors in the country. Modern in the last twenty years has a lot of economic reformation that has great impacts on women. For instance, as a guarantee of employment in the country that is majorly under the control of the state and also to some extent waning due to this state interference, women in this case has no ground in it. Following this development, both men and women all along sought for employment opportunities outside the country that, in this case, made them stay far from their homes (Bossen, 2007). As at present, the law does not allow for cases of migration that takes place in major cities in the country from the countryside. However, many millions of peasants still move into the urban centers in search of employment opportunities every day in the country. Most of these migrants are young women whose families are unable to provide for them the necessities either from their homes or villages. As at present, most girls in China are singletons. Similarly, they can access their family resources which the end enables them to access the highest levels of education. In this regard, these girls are in a position to compete for enrollment in the prestigious universities and also in lucrative employment opportunities for major companies in the country (Louie, 2002). Consequently, these women can postpone their marriages to longer periods as they wait for their approval of their work from the areas they made or posted their applications. For instance, a couple has to get approval from most of these work units before they can enter into marriages and due to this instance, most persons in China often receive benefits of housing and health care after securing such employment opportunities. Indeed, Chinese women from time have a lot of pressures coming from both ends they as it stands, they are managed to counter them and consequently making them conform to the ideals and norms the Chinese state established (Bronfenbrenner, 1984). Even if was a value from the Confucians, ideas from Revolutionary Mao or even those that emerged due to the search for economic and educational progresses, women in this case still persevered to the various changes as they try to match or fit in the political storms of revolution that was taking place in the country. Though the political policies did come from men, women still had some power on the way most of these policies played in the everyday life of persons in the society. At the same time, despite many women receiving pressures to conform to these policies, some of them opted to rebel in either small or large ways of expressions (Honig and Hershatter, 1988). For example, during the whole of the twentieth century times, the basic unit of Chinese people remained the family where the women were to be either wives or mothers. In this regard, majority of the elements from the traditional culture of the Chinese people still exist up to present though they are to some extent have the intergradation of the modern transformations that is so far taking place in the nation. The family members portray a lot of respect and also variations to each respective member especially to the elder lots in the same society. Likewise, Children received cherishment from members of the society. Not forgetting, marriages and deaths are the only events that follow with ritual markings as a way of expressing the value of continuity in the lineage of the family. However, the coming generation of women is after their identity in China (Bronfenbrenner, 1984). The only question that remains unanswered is the extent which these Chinese women will continue retaining the traditions as they seek their identities in the present China as much as it remains that sensitive in its resolution in the long run. After the death of Mao, China became silent for a long period of time, following the end of power struggles. However, there was the emergence of some unrest in the year 1989 from students that in the end led to killings of most of them by the soldiers. The instance in this case caused a great question on whether the country respected human rights and freedoms especially those pertaining to demonstrations or protest over issues that do not auger well with conducive human living (Bronfenbrenner, 1984). As, at present, China remains the most discussed country it comes to matters of world's economic growth. Added to a vast population that also relies on agriculture, there is a belief that the country will experience high magnitude of industrialization developments in years to come and as result creating a huge impact in the world market. In this regard, it must, however, have the support of both genders in the country; that is both men and women for the country's economy to move forward. Any form of alienation or disunity between these two genders will be a setback to the thriving of the country's economy. Bibliographies Allès, E. (2005). The Chinese-speaking Muslims (Dungans) of Central Asia: A Case of Multiple Identities in a Changing Context. Asian Ethnicity, 6(2), pp.121-134. Attané, I., Qunlin, Z., Shuzhuo, L., Xueyan, Y. and Guilmoto, C. (2013). Bachelorhood and Sexuality in a Context of Female Shortage: Evidence from a Survey in Rural Anhui, China. The China Quarterly, 215, pp.703-726. Bossen, L. (2007). Village to Distant Village: the opportunities and risks of long-distance marriage migration in rural China. Journal of Contemporary China, 16(50), pp.97-116. Bronfenbrenner, M. (1984). China Since Mao: A great leap backward?. Atlantic Economic Journal, 12(1), pp.1-12. Honig, E., and Hershatter, G. (1988). Personal voices. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. Louie, K. (2002). Theorising Chinese Masculinity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Milwertz, C. (1997). Accepting population control. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. West, J. (1999). Women of China. New York (N. Y.): St. Martin's Press. Whyte, M. (1985). Chinese Women Since Mao. By Elisabeth Croll. [London: Zed Books, 1983. 129 pp. Hardcover £14.95; paperback £4.95.]. The China Quarterly, 101, p.160. Zhong, X. (2000). Masculinity Besieged? Durham: Duke University Press. Read More