Womens Freedom during Chinas Revolutionary Period Essay

Womens Freedom during Chinas Revolutionary Period During the revolutionary period in China from 1921 to 1934, although there were undercurrents of an actual feminist movement, according to Kay Ann Johnson in Women, the Family Peasant Revolution in China, women’s progress resulted more as a necessity of the war than the leadership’s commitment to emancipate women. Furthermore, when tension arose between men and women, the leadership usually appeased men over women. By not discussing the mentality of the political parties and the dynamics of the war, Hughes and Hughes’ critique lacks an explanation of the underlying motives that drove these parties to sometimes support women and other times reject women’s interests.†¦show more content†¦Hughes and Hughes refer to the Guomindang (KMT), another revolutionary party, that issued demands â€Å"for equality between the sexes, permission for women to inherit property, [and] free marriage and divorce† (HH 236). However, Hughes and Hughes do not fully explain the tensions and underlying reasons for the CCP’s support of women. Johnson, on the other hand, argues that from the onset, the â€Å"Party distrusted the feminist groups themselves as elitist, bourgeois reformers† (Johnson 40). Therefore, any progress made by the Party in favor of women was not true emancipation but emancipation disguised under ulterior motives. Instead, the Party deemed women’s reforms advantageous to their political strategy and position in the war. For example, after 1928, the Communists’ policies were aimed at increasing women’s activities that supported the war effort and the economy. It became important for the Party to win women’s support because women were able to affect men’s decisions. Sometimes women would attempt to dissuade their husbands or sons from joining the army. Therefore, by gaining women’s support, men’s participation in the ar my would increase. In addition, being able to teach women agricultural duties greatly increased the availability of men for battle. Thus, a successful war effort meant that the Party was able â€Å"to tap theShow MoreRelatedWomen through Time and around the World that Have Fought for Gender Equality 1231 Words   |  5 PagesThe twentieth century witnessed many changes in the daily lives of women, from the domestic roles to the public. The new womens movement advocated for equal rights, while newly formed womens organizations were on the rise of a new generation. The male-controlled social structures were slowly being transformed throughout the world. Followed closely by World War I, these social changes, which had been made at the beginning of the century, developed further as women were propelled into the workforceRead MoreThe Old People s Republic Of China1373 Words   |  6 PagesHence, the standard and concept of choosing spouse is inevitably restricted by certain social and historical culture. 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