Traditional Chinese Women Participation in Development - Essay Example

ASSIGNMENT ON DISCOVERY OF ASIA (CHINA) Assignment on discovery of Asia (China) China is one of the countries in the world experiencing quick and steady growth in a general view, and its economy in particular. The contribution of the female gender to such progress and development can be traced from the historical pre-industrialization periods in the Eastern Asia State (Arunachalam, Jaya & Kalpagam, 2007). The country has been noted as potentially being a patriarchal and patrilineal society. The Chinese society is recognized for the importance is accords to the structure of the family and the family hierarchy. The trend of the superiority accorded to men at the expense of women has its roots in the culture of the Chinese people as has been evident through the social life of the society. The legal systems have seen the women in the past being deprived of their rights, including reduced opportunities in the career selection and qualification. This has been the sole reason behind the minimal contribution of women in the development of China. This paper thus is a critical analysis of the contribution of women in the development of china through their roles and place in society in the past, revolutionary, current and future times. The traditional values of the Chinese society have always favoured men over women. The male gender was treated in preference to the female, with the women expected to show subordination to men, with the demographic evidences revealing that the mortality rates of the female infants being significantly higher compared to the male deaths (Drixler, 2013). The traditions have seen cases of infanticides and selling of female children to wealthy households and brothels, where they provided cheap or free labour and services, with minimal economic returns. To curtail their elopement, the females under such bondage had their feet bound. The wealthy men in the Chinese societies would traditionally have a wife, in addition to a number of mistresses. Before the 20th century, women did not have a say in the development of society, for they were treated as sexual symbols and slaves. Traditional Chinese women participation towards development The traditional period in this regard dates back to before and during the imperial times of the 20th century. The Confucian teachings provided prescription of the relationship among the members of the families in china. Kinship responsibilities The females were viewed merely as daughters-in-law, mothers-in-law, mothers, wives, sisters or daughters as per the provisions of ancient China (Goodman, Bryna and Wendy, 2005). Women were thus expected to be obedient to their filial fathers before they could be married off, their husbands during marriage and their sons in case they are widowed. It was expected that women duly observed given virtues including pleasant appearances, efficiency in womanhood skills, integrity and speech propriety. The women had no voice and right of claiming any right accorded to human race irrespective of gender, but were expected to be highly submissive to the male figures in their lives. Thus, their contribution towards overall contribution in the development of the Chinese societies was not recognized. Status role of female figures The Chinese women possessed the least social status possible in society. Such lack of recognition of status for women was often revealed through the cruelty directed towards the female gender in China (Goodman, Bryna and Wendy 2005). Any female figure, with total disregard of their lineage, would be considered as part of the family property owned by fathers and brothers. Further, it was common to experience females being despised by their families and in many instances the females were assigned numbers for names, thus women were not given opportunity to the part in the development of society, and their efforts would not be recognized even if they existed. Marriage role Women were essentially regarded as important when it came to marriage in the Chinese traditional society. It was the responsibility of the parents and guardians to undertake marriage plans for their daughters. In such feudal societies, the couple expecting to get married had no power over marriage decisions, as this was a responsibility charged to their parents (Browning, Christian and John 2006). There existed matchmakers who made formal introductions followed by assessment of the compatibility of the families of the couples and their similarities before marriage could be undertaken. Such marriage restrictions saw girls being married off to men without their consent or prior knowledge. It was common in the traditional set up to find gentlemen from well-off economic backgrounds not allowed to court females from poor families. Work roles The women had their work responsibilities revolving around the home. Ancient Chinese traditions had such provisions as care after children, cleaning of the homestead and food preparation as the major responsibilities of women (Li, 2011). The women were repeatedly subjected to pressure to bear more sons as opposed to daughters, and more children in general. However, the women also had other roles that would move the society from one economic level to the other through sewing, weaving, spinning and peasant farming. In the mid-20th century, significant change took place with regard to the traditional institutions which controlled the participation of women in development in china. The communist revolution worked towards the destruction of the traditional ties of families which discriminated against the female gender. The culture, habits, customs and ideas held by such institutions were defaced. Such changes saw the female gender being elevated to a similar position as their male counterparts. Legal systems changes considerably, with the inclusion of laws to protect women, such as the 1950 marriage law which forbade cruel treatment of the female gender and forced marriages. Current roles of the female gender in development in China There have been developments of the human rights which women have been included in the efforts dedicated to achievement of economic development in china. The efforts of women have duly been recognized in the political, business, education, health and employment sectors. Such development has been characterised by the achievement of gender equality. Women in china are no longer viewed as subordinates to men. Women have the right to select their spouses, and they have been entitled to the human right of access of formal education and benefits which accrue from possession of formal education (Du, 2002). Today, upholding gender equality is a national policy intended to achieve socio-economic development in the country. Political contribution The political system in china has come to recognize the contribution of women in political matters. The People’s Republic of China Law has which protects the interests and rights of females, with the earliest law with such provisions legislated seeing women involvement in political and government affairs (Burn, 2005). In this regard, women have been able to enjoy equal political rights of vying for political posts as well as election of their preferred leaders. Further, democracy has been promoted in China through ensuring that a given minimum number of female representatives in the local and national congresses, with the ratios gradually increasing in favour of females over time. Such legislations have seen the political fights of the females in china being realized. Provision of labour for employment Statics have shown that there has been increase in the number of women employed in various fields to provide skilled services. Of the total workforce in china, 11.7% of the total comprised of females, with the figure rising to 38% in 1995, and currently, the percent stands at 44 (Basu, 2009). This percentage of absorption of women into skilled employment is higher than the world standard average of 34.5%. Women have taken up roles of production in the health, employment, industrial, business and education fields which were initially occupied by men to exclusivity.  Educational role Women have been allowed to access education on equal terms as their male counterparts. Education is a human right, thus girls have been entitled to access of education across the globe (Bank, 2012). The change of legal systems which have seen women get protection from acts of men intended to violate their rights have promoted schooling of girls. Forbidding of such acts as forced marriages, prostitution and sale of girls have allowed girls undertake their education successfully. Women have also undertaken teaching roles in primary, secondary and higher education institutions. This has helped in the promotion of education, which has consequent impacts of development of society and the economy. Future roles of women in development of china There are expectations of the systems of the Chinese society systems intended to empower the female gender towards enhanced development of societal systems. The reforms introduced to the legal, economic, and industrial and education systems have seen women get almost equal chances in the participation of productive activities of such institutions (Li, 2011). Implications of such changes have specifically seen successful dissolving of the state-manned economy and employment terms, paving way for employment opportunities to both genders. There are expectations of achievement of equality in future as an action of the human rights movements seeks to further enhance chances of women absorption into the workforce. In addition, the numbers of women seeking jobs has significantly risen in the past years, and the trend is expected to continue as more women are accessing quality educational and vocational training. Women are expected to enhance democracy in the People’s Republic of China through continued participation in political activities as elections and vying for political positions (Li, 2011). Such activities are thought to have impacts of sensitization and creation of political awareness among the female gender, thus increasing democracy levels in China. However, it is worth noting that women will always experience opposition in political terms. Women are expected to contribute to economic development of the Chinese state through active participation in economic production. The access of better education by females is becoming a common phenomenon in China. This implies a stable supply of labour in future. With such labour, productivity in China is expected to be cost effective and qualitative. With such skilled labour force, it is possible that the private sector of employment is expected to improve, with subsequent impacts of improved economic performance. 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