Traditional Chinese Women and Modern Chinese Women - Research Paper Example

Traditional Chinese Women and Modern Chinese Women Traditionally, obedience to men was one of the three principles that needed tobe observed in the traditional Chinese society by the women (Legge, 57). Going to school for women in the traditional Chinese society was historically unheard of, since the most obedient women were illiterate. The freedom of women was highly restricted in the traditional Chinese society, such that women would remain bound by their feet in order to remain confined within the home compound. Social interaction for women was also curtailed, such that women did not have the freedom to socialize with either the other females or the males in the society, since they were under the rule of their fathers when they were not married, and later subjected to the restrictive rule of their husbands when they got married (Weng and Trowbridge, 27). The concept of Modern Chinese Women was ushered in by the rise of the political ideology of communism in China, which came with a whole range of political, social and economic reforms. With the rise of communism at around 1912, the social custom of polygamy in China was abolished, and the marriage was defined as the union between one man and one woman (IUN, n.p.). Thus, the Modern Chinese Women family status is that of monogamy, where a man is only allowed to get married to one woman. This modern concept has completely transformed the traditional family status that would comprise of several women being married under the same man. Free love and marriage are legitimized for the Modern Chinese Women, as oppose to the traditional concept of arranged marriage (IUN, n.p.). The other aspect of Modern Chinese Women that differs from the traditional Chinese Women is the aspect of marriage choice freedom, where the Modern Chinese Women have the choice and freedom to enter into a marriage of their choice (IUN, n.p.). This is very different from the traditional Chinese Women marriage choice, since traditionally, marriage in China was a contract between two families as opposed to a contract between two individuals (IUN, n.p.). The family status of women, as regards the freedom and choice in marriage, is indicative of a society that solely depended on arranged marriages, such that women had no freedom whatsoever to select their marriage suitors. Further, even in marriage, women were not treated with respect, but always treated as strangers, such that “the relationship between a husband and wife did not include the sharing of their private chambers” (Lee, 151). Even worse, a guest was treated with more consideration than a wife, since a guest could be granted all the attention that was necessary to make the visit comfortable, but the same would not be done for a wife. This was because, “the proper conduct of a wife did not permit her to stay overnight as a guest” (Lee, 151). Thus, women had no choice in relation to the choice of their marriage partners traditionally, since it is their families that arranged the marriage for the women, and chose the best suitor for the woman, whether the woman was ready to get married to that manor not (IUN, n.p.). Love between a man and a woman did not play a crucial role in determining the future of a woman, since the woman would eventually have to get married to the man that her family chose, whether she was in love with him or not. However, all these has changed for the Modern Chinese Women, where such women are free to love and have the freedom of choice to select the man that they wish to get married to, without the interference of their families (IUN, n.p.). Working status is another great change for Modern Chinese Women compared to their traditional counterparts, where the Modern Chinese Women are working women in different professions (IUN, n.p.). This is different from the traditional women experience, since the traditional Chinese women were purely domestic and family women, who did not work in order to support their living, and thus had to depend on the men in their lives to work and support them. The traditional Chinese women were purely dedicated to conducting domestic chores (IUN, n.p.). Access to education for such women was not forthcoming either for the traditional women, with the educational system comprising men only. Nevertheless, one major challenge associated with the change in the working status of the Modern Chinese Women is that such women have developed the tendency to look down on the domestic and home-based chores, by asserting gender equality with their men (IUN, n.p.). The working status of the traditional Chinese women was purely domesticated. The traditional Chinese Women performed domestic chores, such as knitting and spinning thread, washing utensils and taking care of children (Lee, 160). It was the role of men to do work that would provide the family with food. Therefore, men were the responsible parties for providing for their families, while women purely conducted the domestic chores while waiting for their husbands to work and provide, rendering such women completely dependent on their men (Swann, 180). In modern China, women are equally educated as their male counterparts, while at the same time they have equal access to social opportunities as does their men. Thus, women can now work and hold any position in the Chinese society regardless of the status of that position. The equal social status between men and women has also come with some disadvantage to the Modern Chinese Women, since they currently do everything that men does, and are gradually losing their fundamental right; the right to be considered as women, different from men (IUN, n.p.). The social status of Modern Chinese Women has been elevated compared to the traditional Chinese Women social status. This is because, traditionally women were regarded a second-class citizens in the Chinese society, such that they held no social position or any respectable social status in the society (IUN, n.p.). The social status of traditional Chinese Women was that of nonentities. In the traditional Chinese society, there was no major difference between women and slaves, since both categories held the lowest position in the social-status ranks (Legge, 58). This gave rise to the observation that “women and servants are particularly hard to manage: if you are familiar with them, they grow insolent, but if you are too distant they grow resentful” (Wang, 66). Women were also synonymous with little children when it came to their social status in the traditional Chinese society, where for example, Lord Confucius referred to his wife as the ‘Lady’, while the wife referred to herself as “a little child” (Wang, 65). When a girl child was born in the traditional Chinese society, the first ritual custom that was observed is to place the girl under the bed. This ritual was observed so that it could “plainly indicate that she is lowly and weak, and she should regard it as her primary duty to humble herself before the others” (Swann, 179). The adoration was only present at birth, if the child that was born was a boy (IUN, n.p.). Thus, the social status of women in the traditional Chinese society was relegated to the bottom of the social pyramid immediately after their birth, and women would remain at the bottom of the social status pyramid throughout their lives. The Modern Chinese Women are no longer treated as non-entities, since they now have equal rights and social status like their male counterparts. Gender equality is a concept that was introduced by the political ideology of communism in China in the early 20th century, and from then on, women are equal with their men in social status (IUN, n.p.). Works Cited Lee, Pauline C. Chapter 22: Biographies of women. 149-161. Print. Legge, James. “The records of Rites” from The Sacred books of China. Oxford: Clendon, 1895. Print. Indiana University Northwest (IUN). “women in modern china”, 1990. Web. November 22, 2014 < http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/g387/Women%20in%20China.htm> Swann, Nancy L. “Chapter 25: Lessons for women” from Pan Chao: Foremost Woman Scholar of China. New York: Russell & Russell, 1968. Print. Wang, Robin R. “Chapter 7: Analects of Confucius”, from The simple way of Laotzu. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1913. Print. Weng, Hai-Ming and Trowbridge, John. “Chapter 3: The Classic of Changes”, 24-45. Print. Read More