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Women in Modern China

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Women in Modern China
The people of China have been most influenced by Confucian ideas, and during the Han Dynasty Confucianism became part of the official education. Since Confucianism was being taught widespread it influenced the minds of the Chinese people enormously. Something the Confucian ideals taught was that women must hold a position that has less power than men, lowering the status of women. The only way a women could gain any type of respect was by birthing a son. It was taught that women should not have any type of rule and no one should care about a women’s ideas. However, communism took over China in 1949, forcing gender equality. Women could now work, go to school and get divorces. Although much has changed for women, many of the Confucian’s ideas on women still influence the way women are treated in China today.
Marriage in China before the evolution is a lot different than the marriage we think of. Traditional marriage in China is arranged between two families and does not involve love. The marriage is based on family alliance, power, money and assurance. The status and role of the woman was based on her husband’s status, but generally a woman’s job was to birth a son to carry on the family name. Thoughts on marriage changed when the communist government took over. There were new laws put in place banning arranged marriages and giving the woman the right to divorce her husband. This was a big stride for woman in modern China. Polygamy and bigamy was also banned, however, it is remerging in the southern part of China. There are many villages in southern part of China where predominantly such women live. This situation has created many social and legal issues, because unlike arranged marriages, polygamy is not forced, it is voluntary.
In China, males or more likely to be enrolled in school then females at every level, because of this tendency the gender gap widens with age . During the Great Chinese the enrolemt for females in primary school decreased dramatically .


Bibliography: Bauer, John; Wang Feng, Nancy E. Riley, and Zhao Xiaohua (1992). "Gender Inequality in Urban China: Education and Employment". Modern China 18 (3): 333–370 Banerjee, Abhijit V; Esther Duflo (2011). "Top of the Class". Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty: 71–102; 282–285. United Nations. "The Millennium Development Goals Report”. 31 June 2011. (Available online): http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/(2011_E)%20MDG%20Report%202011_Book%20LR.pdf Hong, Lawrence K. "The Role of Women in the People 's Republic of China: Legacy and Change." Social problems 23.5 (1976): 545-57 Chen, C.C. and Yu, KC and Miner, JB (1997). "Motivation to Manage: A Study of Women in Chinese State-Owned Enterprises". The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 33 (2): 160. Knight, J; L. Song (2003). "Increasing urbban wage inequality in China". Economics of Transition 11: 597–619
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