Topic 4 - Social and Cultural Changes from 1949-76 - Women Flashcards
Women and the family - What was life like for women when Mao came to power?
- When Mao came to power in 1949 there were traditional expectations of women
- Women had three obligations – to the father when young, to the husband when married and to the son when old
Women and the family - Examples of traditional expectations of women (4)
- Women were forced into marriages and couldn’t own property or possess any political rights
- Very low status in society – their only role was to provide children
- Forced to wear foot bindings and girls were seen as economic burdens
- Girls had to be subservient to their mother-in-law and their husband’s senior family
Women and the family - Gender discrimination in education - How many girls received education up until 1949?
2.2% of girls received education
The New Marriage Law - When was the New Marriage Law introduced and what did it do?
- Introduced in 1950 – allowed for women to seek divorce – doweries and child marriages were forbidden – free will was required to get married
- Prostitution, arranged marriage, child betrothal and concubinage were all outlawed
The New Marriage Law - % of marriages with a bride aged 16-17 in 1946-49 compared to 1958-65?
1946-49 - 18.6% of marriages had a bride aged 16-17
- 1958-65 - 2.4% of marriages had a bride ages 16-17
The New Marriage Law - % of marriages organised without parental agreement in the late 40s vs 1966-76?
- Late 1940s - 30.6% of marriages were organised without parental agreement
- 1966-76 - 0.8% of marriages were organised without parental agreement
The New Marriage Law - What were some problems and how many divorce petitions filed in 1953?
- Problems included rape, exploitations, domestic violence and a skyrocketing divorce rate
- 1.4 million divorce petitions filed in 1953
Changes for women - School, PLA, foot binding, seen as equals, politicisation, campaigns
- Succeeded in encouraging families to let their daughters go to school
- Autumn 1949 – PLA enlists unmarried, educated female students to military academies to become wives
- Foot binding properly ended in 1949
- Women seen as equals – wore the same RG uniform
- Men and women politicised the same amount during the CR
- Campaigns to mobilise women to participate in the labour force emerged
Changes for women - What was the ACWF, how many staff, what did it do, how many members?
- Creation of the All China Women’s Federation in 1949 saw rise in political activism for women
- ACWF had 40,000 staff in 83 cities
- Published books, pamphlets and newspapers, and set up classes for women and provided financial support
- Total membership of 76 million
Changes for women - Changes in % of women as party cadres from 1958-66 compared to 1970-74?
- 1958-1966 – 8-12% of party cadres were women
- 1970-1974 – 16-21% of party cadres were women
The communes - How were the lives of women affected by the communes?
- Collectivisation and the communes altered societal and familial structure of China
- Women by far the most affected by this change
- Women now expected to work alongside men in the fields instead of working in the domestic setting
The communes - What were the issues for women in the communes? (5)
- Although they were now legally equal to men, attitudes towards women had not changed
- Women still expected to do domestic tasks as well as work
- Protective powers of marriage no longer in effect and rape/SA was rife
- No allowances for pregnancy, periods or any other physical difficulties
- Women also hesitant to abandon their children to the kindergarten programs which were overwhelmed with diseases and negligence
Overall positives for women (4)
- Changes reduced gender inequality in China compared with the past – many changes somewhat effective
- New marriage law introduced – women able to divorce and child marriage banned
- Increase in the level of awareness over gender inequality
- Gender gap became smaller in areas of educational achievement, labour force participation and occupational disturbance
Overall negatives for women (5)
- Gender inequality still an issue
- Men earned more than women for doing the same types of work
- Men more likely to occupy the most desirable jobs
- Men’s participation outside the home was higher than women’s
- Men had better educational opportunities
