Feminism Movements and Sexual Revolution China

Feminism Movements and Sexual Revolution China
Introduction
Women’s rights and feminism movements in China were initially championed by men who were firmly related to social, economic and political development in China. The development of independent and mass feminist movements did not happen in China like it was in the Western continents. In China, the efforts of collective rights and interests from feminists as an independent group did not gain attention in the mainstream government. However, after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, women were allowed to have equal rights to men in policymaking, education, and labor. Furthermore, women were allowed to join the workforce to mitigate the shortage of labor. They did not advocate for it. Instead, they earned it without fighting for it. Although higher employment and economic development contributed to gender equality, gender equality for women remained in the workforce. In most societies, women continue to play traditional roles like taking care of the family among other roles. Conversely, due to the emergence of feminism in the 19th century, the ideas of gender made a retaliation. Feminism was now emphasized as a characteristic of women and discussion on that, ‘women belong to home’ gained much attention. In the last few decades, the feminist movement and sexual revolution in China have undergone a considerable change.
Origin of China’s Feminist Movements
For centuries, the Chinese have customarily used the yin-yang viewpoint to expound gender relations that conveniently created male power dominance. Therefore, women were subjected to a male-controlled social system which limited their actions to home. Women were prohibited from participating in some events in the public scope, such as business and hunting government jobs. They were to put more interest in family and had to conform to the arrangements of the husband (Liu et al. 11). In the hierarchy of Confucian society, the inferiority of women was subjugated by unrestrained patriarchic superiority. Women were dependent on men but in the 19th century feminism emerged as a foreign concept in China but was not embraced by the people. However feminism was accepted in the 20th century when the military onslaughts in the western regions and Japan were supposed to create awareness. Men also started to fight for the right of women. Some of the men who fought for the rights of women includem Jin Tianhe, Gao Yanyi, Liang Qichao, and Mao Zedong.
The rise of feminine feminists was exposed to the dominant male perceptions and ideas on rights of women. However, they held diverse ideas than their male counterparts because of various social identities that stemmed from past experiences and theological footings. The ideas of Liang Qichao and Jin Tianhe were concentrated on the future image of women in China. Therefore, they advocated for women rights which were to come gradually due to the complexity of the Chinese culture and traditions (Angeloff 77). Connecting the development of women to the future of the country and realization was their main interest. However, people like Qiu Jin, He Zhen and Lin Zongsu concentrated on the rights and interests of women and not development and realization. This difference in ideologies led to a continuous debate on the unresolved discussion of what gender equality should entail. Therefore, the movements of women in China boarded on a rough and uncomfortable ride from its inception.
Ideologies and Practices of Feminist Movements of the Twentieth Century
According to Leung (461), the China Communist party approved the Resolution on women. The Resolution was the first principle that guided the rights and interests of women. It embarked on the Marxist revolutionary in Russia, which provided the foundation of exploring women liberation solutions that were special to China’s circumstances. The view of the Marxist blamed the patriarchy for the adage oppression of women in China. Furthermore, capitalism was another reason held by Marxists which caused women abuse. According to them, capitalism treated women’s oppression as a form of capitalist exploitation of labor. They also believed the oppression of women was based on the remote property administration, which took the same the suppression of labor and capital (Leung 462). Therefore, the influence of the Marxist ideologies on women, the society of China began to embrace the idea of parity between men and women. From 1949 onwards, all China’s constitutional reforms have stated that women will also have same rights and privileges like men in economic, cultural, and political aspects of life.
Furthermore, socialist feminism applies to the understanding and explanation of women status in China. The socialist feminism perspective argues that in capitalist societies, capitalism and patriarchy strengthen each other to create an environment where men have control women (Wu et al. 474). Therefore, unless the economic or political institutions of capitalism are changed, it is impossible to improve women’s inferiority in that society. To attain gender equality, the community must realize all public ownership of means of production in the economic institution. When financial exploitation is eliminated or controlled, society will have equal access to resources and gendered differences. Arguably, socialism is another social system that women can use to achieve the same status as their male peers (Liu et al. 15). The People’s Republic of China has applied socialist principles in the last thirty years by establishing programs and organizations designed to protect women.
In 1983, an organization was developed by the Beijing Municipal Women Federation to offer training and recruitment services to women. Additionally, the company was supposed to hire domestic worke...