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Women Hold up Half the Sky as Evident in Post-Revolutionary Time - Essay Example

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"Women Hold up Half the Sky as Evident in Post-Revolutionary Time" paper examines the contribution made by Chinese women in the process of revolution. This may not surface hence the insight into how the social, economic, and more so cultural revolutionary processes have been upheld…
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Women Hold up Half the Sky as Evident in Post-Revolutionary Time
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Women Hold Up Half the Sky as Evident in Post Revolutionary Time Task: Women Hold up Half the Sky as Evident in Post Revolutionary Time Introduction Chinese women have come up awake as they fight for their right. They have struggled through to gain equality and freedom out of captivity of unfavorable culture. These included a reduction of brutal actions and inhuman degradation evident in the pre revolutionary time. Most of them have gone out to join the workers swat in main cities while some especially the younger generations have booked their position in schools. The youth have also demonstrated efforts in taking revolutionary positions in the country. From the numbers, it is critical to realize the contribution made by Chinese women in the process of revolution. This may not surface hence the insight on how the social, economic and more so cultural revolutionary processes have been upheld. What is happening with the Chinese women is simply revolution, as it occurred in the west in the past years. This includes the development of capitalism as well as democracy in the political regimes. The condition of Chinese women in the modern day as well as the future remedies becomes a collective responsibility not restricted to the female gender alone. Feudalism remnants have to be cleared so as to have a close to perfect gender balance situation in the country. This cuts across into labor and employment sectors. The condition of Chinese women may be termed to be a semi slave condition but efforts have been made to correct the situation. Women still do not enjoy the same rights as men in Chinese community. Ideas on revolution in china The culture of selling and buying of wives in the pre revolutionary Chinese setting may come in as a point of reference in this section. The slave girls were used as cheap labor and prostitution purposes. According to Christina (1995), at some point, the city dwellers could offer their wives or children for the sake of having a meal. This has since changed. Cotton industries in chine aware the majority employers of women. The employees could keep up to fifty women in one room as some of their pay was deducted. Efforts to rectify the situation were made with Chinese women de3veloping a force of revolution which saw most of these events disappear among the Chinese population. Te role of the entire social structure was intimidated by sex degradation of the Chinese women. Confucius view on politics also contributed to the view of politics as a family based gender. This meant that submission to the authorities was the way to go. According to (Macfarlane 1853), women were denied a chance to see the fulfillment of ancestors dream. Such barriers had to be dealt with by women and have since been degraded to an extent by revolutionary efforts to the women in china. The submission to male by female has since decreased which has seen women rise to higher heights. This may be minimal but the efforts made have at least seen china have the view of revolution for women as critical to their development. Fathi (ed 1985) argues women have been a source of wealth accumulation by families in china. This has seen most peasant control most pieces of land used for farming. The issue of land and women revolution comes hand in hand as slavery and service to master was the order of the day. This has changed over time and the Chinese population in the rural areas is making efforts to make a turn from the ancient practices of using women. Most women I china have turned to take part in demonstrations and guerrilla warfare in the most recent civil wars. Behind nationalist army, a number of women rallied up as service ladies as well as spies which may be viewed as a positive progress towards revolution in the role of women as far as culture is concerned. Land reforms as led by women associations and individuals have been part of the upheld revolution for women. Miles (2009) argues new agrarian laws adapted support women holding land pieces in similar proportions as men which are maintenance of struggle for reforms for women. Women bondage in participating in political activities by culture has been abandoned. Freedom in marriages as well as reforms in laws of the working conditions has also driven favor to women. Equal pay has been ensured for the workers in china. Contributions made by women in development in china Women make up at least half of the worlds population. For this reason, their contribution to any advances made in any sector cannot be ignored. However, women faced suppression by the male gender through a general view of inferiority in communities initially. They never took part in crucial events and activities such as leadership and decision making until revolution time when advances were made for them. Taking china as an example, a series of events has followed regarding revolution and female gender position in the community. Feng (1996) maintains this revolution has not been lost. Women still hold up half the sky to date. According to Roces & Edwards (2010), the correlation between economic growth and political advancements as contributed to by women is quite significant. The forces that influence this relationship include status of women in the society, norms as considered by traditions, levels of literacy among other positive drivers in the modern society. Most women have jobs today meaning that their contribution is not only restricted to household help but also advances in the national and worldwide economy. Female workforce as fought for during revolution is a reflection of pay after struggle. Taking a situation in the developed world, women have been of use in the process of building developmental trajectory. This is mostly vivid in the Chinese economy among other prominent examples, which has approximately forty four percent of women in the work force. It is also said that women in China are more ambitious than women in the United States. In fact, about thirty one percent of top executives in the Chinese economy are women. According to (Gue 2005), this reflection however does not mean that it is a favor that women rose to the positions. It is through merit and hard work that women have demonstrated that has led them to such heights. The contribution of gender sensitivity may be taken into consideration, but it is deemed fit when performance of females in positions of management are evaluated. Key revolutionary areas McLachlin (2006) argues that emphasis on women education by various activists has been a key contributor to the balance. It has inculcated a culture of equity in distribution of chances based on gender such that no person gets discriminated against, based on gender, when bidding for any position. Qualifications for various positions in the job markets in the world today are based on merit rather than gender. It has been implied (Ed Shirazi 2010) that this has not been lost since the fight for it at revolution time. However, various challenges which are always expected have hindered a complete balance in sharing of positions among gender. In some cases, women population overrides male population in some activities and vice versa. The effects of the revolutionary forces have seen most detrimental cultural ideas go to extinction. This has been made possible by the maintenance of the revolution spirit endlessly. As a result, most Chinese women have enjoyed the freedom they desired and they show positive result from the reforms established. Kraus (2012) argues a real challenge has been having complete change in a radical manner in one instance. It has taken time for most of the reform ideas to be realized. This does not infer that the efforts failed but the reformists are also coping with the prevailing conditions as well as opposing forces, which have to be handled with tact. Womens Role in China in Post Revolution Time During revolution time in China, for instance, the dream of having a communist society could never be realized without involving masses of women. The inference in this situation was having equal opportunity for both genders so as to win in any situation that calls for collective decision making. It has been argued by Kan and Leung (1992) that women fought for this by asking for opportunities and positions in exchange for support of the idea of communism. This never ended at that point. Liu (2003) argues that, women remained involved in various activities as more of them got enlightened in various fields. Perhaps, this was the root of the current day active Chinese women population. However, these did not come on a silver platter, as it involved a lot of struggle to make it come to fruition. Wang (2008) argues that women have had a rather tough time in the country. The length of the path treaded by Chinese women concerning culture is worth appreciating. Thanks to revolution, the current situation is one which Chinese women have the same footage as men. Initially, it was one full of forced marriages, minimized and monitored movement and lack of opportunities to build careers. As such it is worth noting that women have come a long way and have not lost grip on the fight for equality over the years. In the current state, there are about forty three percent of women in the working population of the county. This does not mean that there is a lack in potential in women in the region. The fact is that women in China have remarkable capabilities in performing assuming they are given opportunities to do so. There is a need for exploring such capabilities among Chinese women. According to Watson (2010), the culture and taboos in the regions still pose a challenge for engaging women in some activities. However, most women currently indulge in self-employment which works well with them thereby generating revenue and self stability assurance. By this, this fraction of women inspires many others and also contributes to the development of the economy in the region. Most women resort to vending of commodities in the neighborhood to supplement finances as some engage in opening tuck shops within their residence surrounding. This is a positive sign of women making contribution to the advancement in various sectors. Before any levels of revolution could be introduced, women could be oppressed by men as well as the community in general when they could be found engaging in activities which could seem to be challenging the core duties of men and their monopoly therein. This has since reduced to a small percentage meaning the women have by no means lost the revolutionary fight for equality in every involvement. It is just a matter of time before things could get into a balance in the region. Self-employment has become the way to go for most of the women among the Chinese population due to the fact that there are still challenges in securing some positions as a result of cultural adherence. Harold (2010) maintains, women are adapting to the conditions and see no shame in doing any piece of work despite striving to gain academic knowledge. Vocational training centers have also been established in large numbers to cater to all genders. Employment creation avenues have also been opened remarkably hence ensuring that women also take part. With the population of women in China, their contribution in every sector may be very pivotal in supplementing mens efforts. It is worth noting that such measures are already taking center stage. More small scale enterprises are getting established. Though not adequate, at least some are emerging at and remarkably rapid rate. Packaging and tailoring among other money generating activities by women are on the rise. Adney-Ristakotta (1995) maintains that this contributes positively to the development of the countrys economy. As a result, the contribution made by women has been on the rise rather than in decline, which shows that the revolution targets are not being frustrated by women. Human resources must be exploited to a full extent so as to ensure that poverty is eradicated. Men alone are not capable of doing this they need a hand of women. The economy may grow more rapidly with contribution of the females than otherwise. Information by World Bank indicates that women have the potential in exploring human resources through indulging in various activities. In China, the population of women is close to forty-eight percent of the countrys population. This indicates that they truly hold up half the sky, and a lack of their contribution in any sector would mean that the country’s full potential would be realized. According to (Cushing & Tompkins 2007), this calls for participatory involvement such that women also get equal opportunities as men to enable competition hence better results in every sector. This may be pictured through imagining what the economy in the region would be like if all women indulged in productive work. It is for sure that the economy would grow at a fast rate hence minimizing poverty levels. Women in china are making significant steps in ensuring this realization. However, this also comes with challenges they have the potential but cultural beliefs still deter them from accomplishing their dreams. Shiao-ling (1996) maintains, this has been the case over a long period but has been decreasing over time. Faith in women’s ability is growing but at a slow rate, giving them an equal opportunity to compete for resources and their contribution should never be downplayed. Their contributions are still going up and nothing has been lost from the fight for equality. Historical professions have in the recent past received a remarkable number of women. Academic details for both genders have been the point of concern in china since revolution times. This has grown to better heights showing improvements as per the awards of scholarships. This follows revolutionary struggle to have equity in educational sector. Gender history proves that this was not the case until women’s revolutionary struggles began in the region. Historians highlight some level of revolutionaries among women. There are examples of such political culture shared in most writing about this idea. Some academic jargon, symbolic representation and interesting approaches are common in most academic materials. According to many women took hostile stance in modern revolutions. Political rights are fought for equality between men and women. Women turned to active participation in politics and as of late, most women prefer running for powerful positions in the political arena. Their contributions are much appreciated hence the struggle for revolution has been a win-win situation by women. The fact that they may have a significant contribution remains clearly evident in the academic and political arena in France. The changes introduced in the modern day China after revolution indicates how much women contribute to the world. Opportunities have been available for women to take part in politics as well as make decisions on community issues, which collectively results in development in every sector in the country. Evans (2007) argues that primacy of politics by analysts and authors of revolutionary studies have become very conspicuous in their works. Marxist historians made contributions to revolutions through their writings which have continued over the ages in support for reforms that are favorable to the female gender. Women in the ancient times were not much involved in various areas such as court proceedings and politics. These sectors had no defined paradigm of crisis but a general approach gave results evident today. Conclusion According to Goldman and Perry (2002), China as well as other communist countries had to call for support from women so as to reach their goal. Iranian elections also saw women voters supporting the reformists who would look into their grievances. This makes it clear that women hold up half the sky. Besides, women have also taken part in income generating activities which contributes positively to supplementing budgets both locally and nationally in various countries. The inference made from this is that women are also useful as far as production and resource utilization are concerned. Under-exploration of womens potential may lead to underperformance of a country. From the above discussion it becomes apparent that revolution for women has not been lost since revolution time. They have aided improvement in various sectors including social, cultural, education, jobs and political sectors. Steps made for women during reform times have not been in vain so far, progress has been recorded. This has been possible through reforms since 1979. On the other hand, their contribution to various sectors has been realized to be supportive of development as well as decision making processes. Hence they hold up half the sky. China has been used to support these claims. Challenges faced in various situations in the country derail full realization of reforms. Women have received the much needed equality in a fair proportion. The government has established laws that look into the changing of the perception in ownership and participation. The effect of these reforms has been realization of equality and elimination of unfair cultures manifested before among Chinese population. This has seen most women own land as well as take part in political activities. Their efforts in developing the economy have since increased to a remarkable level. As a result, efforts made for the revolution of Chinese women from the unfavorable culture have proceeded as expected. The efforts made by women are worth appreciating as they make a better part of the changes a success. Thus they hold up half the sky. Bibliography Adney-Ristakotta, T 1995, Strange Virtues: Ethics in a Multicultural World, InterVarsity Press, Nottingham. Christina, KG 1995, Engendering the Chinese Revolution: Radical Women, Communist Politics, and Mass Movements in the 1920s, California, University of California Press. Cushing, L & Tompkins, A 2007, Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Evans, C 2007, Fashion at the Edge: Spectacle, Modernity & Deathliness, Yale University Press, New Haven. Fathi, A, ed. 1985, Women and the Family in Iran, BRILL, Boston. Feng, J 1996, Oral Histories of Chinas Cultural Revolution, china, china books. Goldman, M & Perry, E J 2002, Changing Meanings of Citizenship in Modern China, US: Harvard University Press. Gue, Z P 2005, China in War and Revolution: 1895-1949, UK, Routledge, Harold, M T 2010, China: From the Great Qing Empire to the Peoples Republic of China, 1644 – 2009, Indiana, Hackett Publishing. Kraus, R C 2012, The Cultural Revolution: A Very Short Introduction: A Very Short Introduction, UK, Oxford University Press. Kan, MYM, Leung, J K 1992, the Writings of Mao Zedong, 1949-1976: January 1956-December 1957, Volume 2, M.E. Sharpe, New York. Liu, J 2003, Liu: Revolution Plus Love Cloth, Hawaii, University of Hawaii Press. Macfarlane, C 1853, The Chinese revolution: with details of the habits, manners, and customs of China and the Chinese, Volume 1, UK, George Routledge and co. McLachlan, S 2006, Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Cross-cultural Leadership, Nipissing University, Canada. Miles, H T 2009, China: A History, Indiana, Hackett Publishing. Roces M & Edwards, L 2010, Womens Movements in Asia: Feminisms and Transnational Activism, Taylor & Francis, New Jersey. Shiao-ling, Y 1996, Chinese Drama After the Cultural Revolution, 1979-1989: An Anthology, New York, Edwin Mellen Press. Shirazi, F, ed. 2010, Muslim Women in War and Crisis: Representation and Reality, Texas: University of Texas Press. Wang, J M 2008, When "I" Was Born: Womens Autobiography in Modern China, US: University of Wisconsin Press. Watson, J L 2010, Class and Social Stratification in Post-Revolution China, UK, Cambridge University Press. Read More
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