1 The Changing Status of WomenBy Rohan Dronsfield, Jonny Williams, Tom Gwynne- Evans, Ben Wolfin and Django

2 Traditional Philosophical view of womenWriters topical presented women as the Ying and men as the Yang Yin was soft, yielding, receptive, passive, reflective, and tranquil so women were supposed to be that

3 Traditional Status of WomenVery low status Women were treated like slaves and prostitutes before the 1900s Many women had their feet bound together to symbolise their subservience Parents preferred to have male children In some cases daughters could be sold to brothels or to wealthy families or even killed

4 Traditional Marriage Marriages were arranged and based on social status Before 1949, 95% of marriages in China were arranged Once they were married they became their husband’s property

5 The three situations of ObedienceWomen had to be obedient in 3 situations: They had to obey their father before marriage Obey their husband during marriage Obey their sons in widowhood

6 The Four Virtues Women also had to possess four virtues: integritypleasant appearance propriety in speech - women had no right to voice their own opinion but submissively accept men’s decisions. skilled needlewoman

7 Traditional Work and Education of WomenWomen were supposed to do housework like cooking and cleaning Spinning, weaving and sewing was a very common thing for women to do However some peasant women worked in the fields with their husbands Women were also expected to have many children and were under a lot of pressure to have a son Education of women was not seen to be important In 1949 illiteracy among women in China was 90%

8 Mao’s opinion on Women He felt that women were vital“Women hold up half the sky”, Mao Zedong. We can infer from this that the Communist ideology of genders is that there should be equality between the one half, men, and the other half, women. Advocate of women’s rights even before he came to power Suicide of Miss Zhao in 1919 due to forced marriage, in which he responded “Better a shattered piece of jade than an unbroken pot of clay”. He also went onto say it was an “act of true courage” against the “rottenness of the marriage system”, proving his hatred of that marriage system.

9 Mao’s opinion on Women Against the traditional marriage lawsMao had been involved in an arranged marriage when he was 14 to a woman 7 years older against his will One of his first pieces of legislation was a New Marriage Law Mao saw it as one of his greatest achievements that had “burst the feudal shackles that have bound human beings, especially women for thousands of years” Also reinforced his idea of destroying the old society which was later played out in the Cultural Revolution

10 Mao’s opinion on Women Women should workWould “liberate through labour” Represented equality (women would receive the same pay rate as men) Communes also meant that the tasks of the mother (childcare & food prep) were taken care of by the commune Mao also hoped Communes would release women of the domestic/traditional stereotypes that were associated with them

11 Impact of collectivisation and communes on womenApparently greatly advanced woman’s emancipation. Could now own land in own name. However eventually both men and women could not own private land.

12 Communes Should have been liberating – taking away excess duties.“Petty bourgeois emotional attachments” Reality less idealistic.

13 Poem appearing in the magazine China Pictorial, 1958 written by a woman living in a People’s communeNurseries, kindergartens, tailor shops, You don’t do the cooking, Or feed the pigs the slops, Machines make the clothing And grind the flour. When you give birth to a baby It’s cared for every hour. Freed from household drudgery, Let’s produce more by the day, And drive ahead to communism, It isn’t far away!

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15 Conditions Put women at disadvantageEarned fewer work points – physical labour Cadres had old-fashioned views – did not treat women well.

16 The famine As conditions got worse – vulnerability increased – less rations than men. Mothers deciding whether to feed children. Rise in prostitution. Gansu province – 60% rise in divorce – wife selling.

17 CNN, “Communism and Mao good for women”

18 The Nature and Extent of ChangeMarriage Law Arranged marriages were less common Reduced the power of parents over their daughters, but the state simply took their place.

19 The Nature and Extent of ChangeOpportunities of employment Rapid advances in terms of taking up opportunities for paid employment. They were entitled to the same pay as men, but piecework pay often meant that women were paid significantly less. Proportion of women in the workforce quadrupled, but still only to a third of the entire workforce (8 to 32%). Career progression for women limited by the male dominated management structure. There was still pressure on women to retain traditional roles which meant that fewer women took to higher education, resulting in a very low proportion of skilled women in the workforce.

20 The Nature and Extent of ChangeCultural Revolution Worsened the position of women. Class rather than gender based issues were prioritised. Women who took up roles of Red Guards found themselves accepted only as long as they exhibited similar levels of violence as their male counterparts, which involved using their distinct identity as women.

21 In conclusion… (It was terrible)

22 Positives With Mao's philosophy of equality and the Com- munist Party, they were liberated: Freed from foot binding, prostitution, arranged marriages, spousal abuse and child marriages. Mao worked to change Chinese society, and although he made many inferior decisions as the leader of China, he did elevate the state of women by changing laws and customs in China

23 Negatives As the CCP centralised its power, women’s rights were sidelined for the greater goal of running the country. Women often had contradictory goals placed before them. They entered the workforce, but were also expected to have many children to support the revolution. Red Guards and other urban youth were often separated from their parents and sent to the countryside as Mao’s words of wisdom replaced those taught at home. A common phrase was “Father is close, Mother is close, but neither is as close as Chairman Mao”

24 Even more negatives During the CR, femininity was hidden under unisex clothing, and women were often blamed when they suffered sexual harassment or abuse. The population explosion placed new burdens on women, including their responsibility in adhering to the 1 child policy. Girls were immediate victims of this, as many of their births went unregistered or in some cases were aborted. The effects of advanced technology such as ultrasound coupled with a traditional prefernce for male offspring left China with a large gender gap and too many men.

25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn-PqbBaI_4

26 Thanks 5 watching!