Confucianism, Gender & Sexuality in Modern China - Essay Example

History tries to understand and analyze past societies in relation to the present. Recently a lot of attention has centered on gender analysis and the roles of male and female or masculinity and femininity in past and present societies. Gender analysis also looks at sexuality and sexual behavior in the context of the social life of the times. The roles of men and women in society, and their attitudes towards right and wrong are pointers to the way gender and sexuality were viewed by these societies. Importance is therefore given to the way a society or culture views heterosexual or homosexual behavior. In China where Confucianism was a way of life, it was a patriarchal society where the home was considered to be the center of social relations. Here women were never considered equal to the man and were expected above all to be obedient to their fathers or husbands and in later life to their grown sons. Confucianism takes a very practical view of matters regarding sexuality and hence homosexuality too was considered a normal facet of life. However today things have changed and although women have more freedom than ever before, the country is still deeply rooted in tradition and hence women are torn between personal freedom and traditional values. Gender & Sexuality in Modern China Gender and sexuality in modern societies is being increasingly studied in relation to the past, in order to understand how these societies have either progressed in their thinking on these subjects or have remained static on such issues. An understanding of past and present societies is possible only through a study and analysis of sexuality in past societies, and the way they are viewed today in those societies. China today an economic and industrial giant is the subject of much controversy and misunderstanding since Chinese society in the past has not been very open to the outside world. Today however, questions on sexuality and the roles of men and women in society are being looked at differently by the new generation due to western influences on Chinese society. The new generation of Chinese youth is going through a very rapid process of social change and is driven by consumerism as is the youth in most parts of the world today. This generation therefore looks at sexuality and gender through a different prism and is more open. Therefore one may conclude that China is going through a social and sexual revolution. Historically women were treated as second class citizens with no legal rights and very little education. During the time of the imperial government, there was great concern regarding gender and sexuality among its subjects. Sexual desire and sexuality were regarded as essential human needs that served to keep both mind and body healthy and ending in marriage and reproduction that increased the population. In Confucian times there was a strict gender hierarchy followed where the male was the dominant member and women were not allowed to mix with men other than their husbands, relatives or children. The family was the center of social life and the highest virtue of a woman was obedience to the dominant male in the family be it father, husband or grown son. In Confucian times the woman was never considered as someone who was a person free of male control. It was this philosophy that led to the Yin and Yang gender dichotomy in the era of the Han dynasty. Men were characterized as Yang which was powerful, and active, while women were characterized as Yin or weak and submissive. Women it was generally considered were born to be dutiful wives and loving mothers. Communism ushered in an era of gender equality. Polygamy was abolished and free love and marriage were legitimized. Communism tried to overcome Confucian social relationships but gender equality did not result in respect for women. Gender equality in the Communist jargon meant that men and women should unite to build socialism. In the communist way of thinking, gender equality meant achieving national strength and prosperity by increasing women’s contribution to nation building. Hence women did not gain respect only equal opportunity to take part in public labor and therefore using their labor to build a strong nation. Mao’s celebrated slogan “women hold half of the sky” (Mao, n.d.) meant only that they did their share of the work. Despite this rhetoric, inequality between the sexes and gender distinction continued especially in rural China, where brides were bought or sold and baby girls often killed at birth. Since girls would eventually marry and become members of another family, education for them was considered a waste as it would benefit someone else. Publicly sexuality was never discussed and traditional values of chastity restricted interactions between young men and women. Sex before marriage or extramarital sex was taboo and led to ostracization. Free choice of marital partners was denied and the youth were denied the power to control their own sexuality. Discussion of homosexuality and the existence of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people were disallowed in an atmosphere of strict public morality. Modern China however is going through a social and sexual revolution. China’s one child policy that aimed at population control has resulted in a skewed male to female ratio where males greatly outnumber females. Traditional desire for male children and in rural areas, the value of a male child to work the farms, has led to this situation. Males now compete with one another in spending lavishly and in many instances beyond their means in order to attract a partner. This has had its effect on women who are becoming more and more consumer driven knowing they have the power to demand more from prospective partners. It has led them to view marriage as a means of elevating their social status. However in the bigger cities, women have become more independent, having greater opportunities for advancement and they no longer feel bound by the traditional family values of marriage and domesticity blurring the distinct traditional roles of men and women. As Patsy Yang, journalist for Shanghai Daily comments, “It’s the family who want the daughter to marry. But often women no longer listen to their family, they want to make their own decisions.” She goes on to explain that “Now we have a lot of choices……...not like before where you have to get married or people would judge you. There were a lot of restrictions before.” (Yang, 2011) The attitudes of females to their roles in society and their changing attitudes to sex are increasingly evident in the way they dress and their carefree attitude at bars and night clubs. Relationships are being affected by these rapid changes in Chinese society, because of the speed at which these changes are taking place. Although Chinese women today are relatively free to realize their chosen goals, a lot of youngsters are still influenced by the thinking of their elders. There is a lurking fear that if they leave it too late, they may remain single for life. Statistics reveal that the number of older unmarried women has increased in the last decade by 3.2%. A term newly coined in China is Sheng Nu meaning left behind, referring to women who are in their late twenties or early thirties and are still unmarried. This bothers a lot of Chinese women who have the opportunity that China’s rapidly changing economic and social fabric has given them; and yet they are torn between their own ambitions and the pressures and traditional thinking of their parents’ generation Today speed dating events are held to bring young people together. These events still have the parental influence as parents are an important part of the event. Such events truly encapsulate the mix of modernity and tradition that is so much a part of Chinese culture today. As Rob Gifford writes in his book, One Man’s Journey Into the Heart of Modern China, “Everywhere (in Shanghai) there is a focus on the future that seems to spring from the knowledge of how many years, and how many lives, were wasted.”(Gifford,2011) However one must remember that the China of cities like Shanghai is very different from rural China. The experiences of rural Chinese youth are very different from those in the large cities. However, attracted by the jobs and glitter of city life, many people are migrating to large cities in search of a better life for themselves and their families and then they too are caught up in the vortex of this change. Homosexuality on the other hand, was considered both a crime and a mental disease till the late 1990s in China. However it was an accepted practice in China long before it came to be accepted in other parts of the western world. The political philosophies and religious ideologies of ancient China looked upon homosexual relationships as normal facets of life. Homosexuality has been in practice in China since ancient times. Daoism refers to maintaining a balance between Yin and Yang which are the female and male and considers that an element of yin was present in every male so feminine behavior in men was considered quite natural. In fact many people believe that the negativity towards homosexuality began after western colonialism. Another explanation for the tolerance of homosexuality in China stems from China’s population control measures. The thinking behind this being, that if a relationship does not lead to producing children, the government did not object to it. Also the absence of any dominant religion in China has allowed the acceptance of homosexuality, since it is religious taboos that fuel the negative approach to it. Since the turn of the century there has been an expansion of the gay community with bars and websites, and LGBT organizations springing up across the country to help people with issues such as prevention of HIV/AIDS and gay rights. Public perception of homosexuality too is changing in the urban educated class of people. Some attribute this to the large influx of expatriates into China bringing with them ideas of freedom of choice in such matters. They also are an encouraging factor while organizing events catering to the LGBT community. However, this is not the case in rural areas where there is no discussion at all on the subject. A large section of Chinese society remains ignorant of homosexuality and people are still afraid of being rejected by society. However, there is less violence towards gays and lesbians in China mostly due to the government’s ambivalent attitude. Walter Williams a professor from the University of Southern California who has been studying gender and sexuality in Asia says “China right now is very similar to the U.S. in the 1960s, in regards to homosexuality…but I think that at the rate China is moving along, we will see China at the forefront of gay liberation.” (Williams, 2010) The overall picture is that China has come a long way in the way men and women relate to one another and their own sexuality. The spurt in economic growth and the influences of the western world have all contributed to a new social revolution. Society has become much more open and the acceptance of the LGBT community is far more than in other countries of the region. Despite all this there is still the pull of tradition and family values that holds the society back. Also the vast divide in the thinking, education and economic prosperity between the urban and rural areas has resulted in two Chinas - one a modern prosperous and open society and the other still mired in tradition and the ancient ways of life. References Gifford, Rob. “China Road: One Mans Journey Into the Heart of Modern China” Quoted in “China’s Sexual Revolution” Page 4 By Sophie Turton Retrieved from Mao Zedong Quoted in The Washington Post Asia and Pacific “In Communist China, women officially equal but lagging far behind politically” By Keith B. Richburg Retrieved from Williams,Walter. Quoted in “Homosexuality in China” by Steffi Lau Date Published: 03/10/2010 US - China Today University of Southern California Retrieved from Yang, Patsy. Quoted in “China’s Sexual Revolution” Page 2 By Sophie Turton Submitted by ShanghaiExpat Editor on Wed, 2011-12-07 Retrieved from http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/article/china-s-sexual-revolution-18376.html?page=0,1 Read More