Women in Modern China - Report Example

Women in China s Women in China Women before globalized economy Men have been the core of families, from the early times of China. The King’s of Zhou dynasty or Shang dynasty were all men, and their ancestors were all men too, like father became the king, because his father was the king and then one of his sons would become the king. The historical record of women shows them scheming, to make their own sons succeed the throne; as one man had many wives, they also had many sons and each wife wanted his son to be the next in line for the king. Women, in early times, were also known for making the lives of their husbands a mess. Before globalization, the marriage of a man and a woman was not a marriage between two individuals, but two families, like an alliance. Selecting a spouse was not the decision of the individuals, but rather a need for socioeconomic status. Women were kept at the bottom of the society because they were considered inferior to men. Women had no political rights and were excluded from politics as well as social life. Women were totally dependent on men, because they had no property rights; they were not allowed to do a job which meant that they had no independent source of income. Women had no social status; they obeyed their fathers before marriage and husband after marriage. If they became widowed, then they had to obey their sons; they didn’t receive any proper education, because they had no rights and didn’t have the freedom to take part in social activities. The system of polygamy prevailed in China at that time, and women had to bear physical and mental torture because of that and also due to prostitution. Women with bound feet were a phrase, which was famous in China for years, as it described the real status of women (Rosenthal, 1999). Women used to work only in homes and their life revolved around taking care of their husband, children and cooking. Women were expected to have many children and many felt the pressure as their husbands expected a son; some occupations for women in the household were spinning, weaving and sewing. When Japan launched an aggressive war against China, 30 million Chinese lost their lives, among which the women and children were killed brutally. More than 20,000 women were raped by the troops and this cruel oppression caused a misery, which was never seen in China before. This was the landmark event, which gave women the power to start a movement for their liberation; policies on sexual equality was enacted by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the reforms of 1898, banned feet binding of women and gave them the right to attend schools. There was also a feminist movement, which failed because they were the victims of oppression from Japan troops. After Globalization and Women of China Globalization and the formation of the People’s Republic of China changed the way women lived; the common program introduced rights for women in the political, economic, cultural and educational fields and they were given equal rights, as men had. Globalization changed the lives of women in China, because they got to see cultures of other countries and the treatment of women there. For example, in Western countries, polygamy is considered a crime, women have the right to vote, they have the right to take part in political and social activities, they have the right to marry someone of their own choice, they have the right to education, the right to decide how many children they want, the right to get divorced from their spouse and the right to seek employment. Firstly, women got basic rights after People’s Republic came into power; they previously had no right to own land, but People’s Republic brought land reform movement, which gave them the right to obtain land, just like men did and this solved the economic inequality problem between men and women. From 1953 onwards, women were allowed to vote and stand for election, as men previously did. In the same year, 90% of women practiced their right to vote and this was because of People’s Republic party and also because in countries like the UK and the USA, women were given the right to vote. Women and Family Responsibilities In the modern times, post globalization era, women in China still have many family responsibilities, however, a family is no more centered on the man, and both man and woman run the household. Women in China want to create strong family ties with their sons and husband, so that they can control their families and their individual lives. They have the option of working and handling household affairs at the same time and most women are given the opportunity of flexible hours by organizations, so that they are able to create a balance between work and life. With the influence of external factors, women now know their rights very well; they now chose their own husband, not keeping social status in mind, but because of love or personal choice. Thus, choosing their own spouse is a benefit for them, as they get to live with the person they want, who understands them and they can enjoy their freedom at the same time too. Even though women have become independent, some don’t chose to marry because they don’t want to lose their freedom or take care of a family. Women also have a choice when it comes to getting married, and they often chose not to; however, the society frowns upon such women, who don’t get married before they reach the age of 25. Such women are considered leftovers (Mohamed, 2014), however, according to women, good men are not easy to find in China and if they marry someone from the foreign country, then they face criticism, like a recent woman of China married an Indian man and faced criticism from the locals. Schools Like in the West, females are now allowed to get an education; they go to schools, colleges and universities and also have the freedom to seek employment in the company of their choice. However, the conditions of education in rural areas are quite different from urban areas. The story of Hong Mei, a 12 year old girl, living in a mountain village which comprises of the poor population, has a sad story about how, Chinese government has made education compulsory for nine years, she has never been to school because it is extremely expensive and her mother needs her help at home, to do house chores. There is also rising entry barriers for women living in China; there was a protest in 2012, where three women shaved their heads in Beijing, to protest gender discrimination (Hewlett, 2011). Apparently, universities demand higher scores of women as compared to men, and the Education Ministry said that this practice is in the national interest. Such a statement angered other women and they too shaved their heads. This policy is under practice since statistics revealed that the number of women getting into universities is rising, and they are outstripping men in particular areas, like language. By 2012, women comprised of 49.6% of undergraduate students in the master’s program, they have increased to 50.3%. There is clear discrimination against women at university level, for example, in China, University of Political Science and Law, the bar for women is set at 632, whereas for men it is set at 588 (Tatlow, 2012). Work As compared to traditional times of China, women now have many opportunities to work; they are in fashion, air force and air hostess occupations, however, according to Pully Chau, business opportunities are still better for men as compared to women. Women in China make up 46% of the labor force; it is also analyzed that China is now more open to women working, as compared to Taiwan and Japan. The young woman from China had moved away from the countryside to coastal belt, to work n factories, where they have to work hard, but according to them, the job pays better. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is a consultancy company, which stated that there are many women, who are working at the top layers of the management and the number is more than in any other Western country. Female talent is also in abundance, as stated by Jin YU, who is a partner at McKinsey. However, she also states that the way China’s companies nurture their women employees, it should be improved. It is surprising to know that women like to work with state-owned companies, as compared to private companies, because they feel that state-owned companies are a comfortable place to work; the only problem is with the people of the top management and their attitude. There is a lot of discrimination in state-owned companies; a woman who worked in China National Petroleum Corporation stated that they used to send her to Libya, Pakistan and Sudan and because of this; she had to get a divorce from her husband, because she wasn’t being very attentive to her family. Now, she needs more time to take care of her 12 year old daughter, so she has opted for a low level rank in the company, where she wouldn’t be given punishing hours (Snow, 2004). A problem which women face in the workplace is that they are not included in work related social events, like golfing, because when they are not working, they are expected to take care of their families. Conclusion Life before globalization has proven to be complicated for the women in China; they were tortured, raped and humiliated every now and then, and there was nothing they could do about it. Now, in the contemporary China, women have many rights like choosing their own husband, getting divorced, going to court if somebody rapes or abuses them, getting higher education, even if it meant going to another country and seeking employment. There are many employment opportunities for women; they are even given maternity leaves when they are pregnant. These maternity leaves are paid leaves, so that female employees don’t lose their income or feel discriminated against. However, there is room for a lot of improvement, which should be taken in consideration by the Chinese government. Women should be treated well at workplace, and when it comes to universities, women shouldn’t be discriminated against and should be asked for the same scores as men are asked; women have the strength to contribute towards the economy of China. References Hewlett, S. (2011). Ambitious, educated women and their key role in solving China’s talent crunch - Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2014, from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/global-business/ambitious-educated-women-and-their-key-role-in-solving-chinas-talent-crunch#.U14M8PmSwlY Mohamed, F. (2014). If You Are Not Married By 25, You Are A Leftover Woman In China. Retrieved 28 April 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/24/china-gender-inequality_n_5207388.html Rosenthal, E. (1999). School a Rare Luxury for Rural Chinese Girls. Retrieved 28 April 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/01/world/school-a-rare-luxury-for-rural-chinese-girls.html Snow, H. (2004). Women in modern China (1st ed.). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. Tatlow, K. (2012). Women in China Face Rising University Entry Barriers. Retrieved 28 April 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/world/asia/08iht-educlede08.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Read More