women in chinese culture

Across cultures, many times similarities lay within them that go unnoticed. It is true that obvious differences set them apart; but if a closer look is taken, it is surprising what can be found. The Chinese culture is obviously different from the American culture, but underneath the surface there are similarities. One of them is how the treatment of women has evolved and changed. Anti-feminism in China has been present since ancient times, and has just recently decreased. Anti-feminism in America has never been as severe as it was in China; however, instead of the value of women gradually increasing over the years - it has reversed. The value of women in America has decreased. There are many similarities between the ancient Chinese women

But this is not necessarily the way it was perceived by the Chinese. There were plenty of unhappy women. However, there were also men who thought that the private (inner) life of the family was more desirable than the public life which they faced.

Because of his efforts and the ripple-effect they created, Chinese women, who make up 49 percent of the Chinese population and 46 percent of the labor force, have obtained a higher proportion of management than women in many Western countries (Hu). While those who possess anti- communist sentiment continue to focus on societal restrictions, it is more important to recognize the benefits of the ideological underpinnings on which communism was founded and enabled to strive for equality so quickly. The newly established Constitution of the PRC and the Marriage Reform Law swiftly demolished China’s strict social structures and allowed women to escape traditional mentalities (Hu). In doing so, unprecedented progress in achieving equality was made under the communist reign, faster and more efficiently than can be touted by even today’s most democratic and free

Chinese women have historically retained highly circumscribed roles and statuses that rendered them inferior to their male corollaries. The gender status quo was predicated on a definition of gender as a cultural construct that is performed rather than rooted in biology. Throughout Chinese history, the women’s role in the family was paramount as conceptualized by the concept of Yin and Yang. While men are associated with Yang, the darker and robust force, while Yin represented the cooler and passive female force. As such, the Chinese ascribed to the separate spheres ideology which relegated women to the private sphere within the home while the public sphere was a male preserve.

In studying Chinese women and American women the research clearly shows that there are some similarities than differences in the areas of legal rights, education, employment, domestic life and health care. Subcultures can add variations to the average women in both cultures, but for the most part American women have fought for women’s right for a longer period of time and now enjoy more cultural freedoms then the Chinese women that are just beginning to fight for them freedoms.

The idea of feminism has not always been common. The term “feminism” wasn’t introduced until the 1970s. This shows how society didn’t allow anything that had to due with everyone being equal because of the standards that society constructed. In all the versions of Mulan, I think that Disney’s Mulan was the most strict on her having Ancient China’s role of being a woman. This would be having kids, helping clean around the house and not working for money, but working for her husband and kids. In Disney’s Mulan, her family is more hard on her to be a lady and for her to be the proper role of a women. This is because they went to a “matchmaker” to find her husband, and after saving everyone several times, she was still looked down upon because she was a woman.

China is an ancient civilization, patriarchal society, and an extremely large country. Why is China significant in our society? According to the Asia society, the article stated, “more than 1 billion people live in China” (Zimmerman, 2015). The role of women in China has changed drastically at the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911, and the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The transition of the women’s role was from enslavement and oppression in ancient China, to one of egalitarianism in modern communist China. Chinese women lived with rules by Confucius in his analects for two thousand years. The Confucius doctrine mentioned women were not equal to men because women were inadequate of an academic education. Throughout ancient

Daily life during the Yuan dynasty was not so enjoyable life for woman. This is because woman had a very difficult life and had no rights,they were to be bossed around by men and couldn't accomplish anything themselves unless they make dinner.As well as ,girls were forbidden to have an education and only wealthy boys were able to attend school and because boys were able to succeed greater in society.According to this article called Ancient China:Daily life mentions something really interesting about woman “They were considered much less valuable than men. Sometimes when a baby girl was born she was put outside to die if the family didn't want it. This was considered okay in their society. Women had no say in who they would marry.”.Girls were

During the Postclassical era, which spanned from 500 and 1450 C.E, the roles of women in China and Japan experienced change, as well as continuity. China and Japan both experienced several stages of change, from arranged marriages and not being allowed to participate in government, to more freedom in marriage and property rights and becoming priestess and empresses. Continuities in this time included a strict patriarchal society and practices such as foot binding that remained throughout an entire dynasty. China displayed continuity as well as change between 500 C.E. – 1450 C.E. A patriarchal society (the order of society with Men higher than women, and Fathers higher than sons) continued, and had a heavy connotation with Confucianism.

Some westerners believe that Chinese women’s role in society mirrors that of western women’s. This especially the result of westerners understanding of Confucian beliefs. While the beliefs of society at the time do play a role, the role of women in ancient and imperial China changed throughout the centuries. Some dynasties saw women controlling empires and having immense power while others saw women confined to the home. This change is mirrored in late-imperial China. Late-imperial China (960-1911) saw a gradual increase in the restriction of women’s roles in many aspects of society.

In traditional Chinese culture, women were inferior to men. They were not allowed to make any decisions concerning their families. Their only purpose in life was to stay home and take care of the households. "A woman's duties are to cook the five grains, heat the wine, look after her parents-in-law, make clothes, and that's all! ...she must follow the `three submissions.' When she is young, she must submit to her parents. After her marriage, she must submit to her husband. When she is widowed, she must submit to her son. These are the rules of propriety." ("The Mother Of Mencius", p.34) That's the principle that was followed in traditional China. Some of the examples of this are discussed in this

Women have had changing roles in every society for centuries. Depending on the country, some women have had a harder time achieving equality. One of these countries is China. These women have faced such obstacles as foot binding to concubines. Until the twentieth century women were not considered equals in their society.

“See’s emotional themes are powerful...the bonds of sisterhood and the psychological journey of becoming an American” - (The Washington Post)

When it comes to discussing the manners and customs that dominated in China in the past century, numerous topics appear. Thanks to the numerous written testimonies, we can almost reconstruct the life and experiences of people in ancient China. Of course, many of the practices described are not only interesting, but surprising. In this paper I am going to take a closer look at the status of women in ancient Chinese family.

These beliefs about the roles did not come out of nowhere. Confucius, the teacher of the religion of Confucianism, taught that women's roles were to look after the men in their families. Most did not question his teachings and continued to live with these “rules”. Not only the fact that they believed women were inferior to men and should stay at home, "people believed that women were both morally and intellectually inferior to men and thus needed men's control and guidance" (Tsai). While men were valued for their hard work and getting the money, women were disparaged because they “couldn’t live” without a man’s work.