Women's status in post-revolutionary China

Chang, Yuen-loong (1979) Women's status in post-revolutionary China. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Like other traditional societies, women in traditional China had a low status. It is evident particularly in the traditional family settings for family has long been the basic social unit in Chinese society. The degrading status of the Chinese women in the past was the consequence of three major factors: the agricultural mode of production, patrilineage and Confucian ethics. The first section of the thesis discusses the traditional subordination of the female sex in the family as well as in economic, educational and political spheres. -- With the impact of the new idea of sex-equality from the West, the status of women in Chinese society began to improve. Though under the Chinese National regime efforts to improve the women’s status were begun, many measures intended to foster greater sexual equality were not fully carried through. Significant progress in emancipating women came only through the administration of the Chinese Communist government. The measures carried out since then have given Chinese women greater rights in marriage and divorce, property ownership, welfare services, participation in occupational, educational and political fields, etc. The thesis discusses the historical development of the women’s emancipation movement under Communist direction. -- The final section of the thesis compares the status of women in new China with female emancipation in the U.S.S.R. and raises questions about the future possibilities and obstacles to further change. Women’s emancipation in modern China seems to depend heavily on whatever policies the governing regime takes. It is hard to predict what future achievement the women in modern China will have on their ways striving for their equality with men.

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