Theme 4 - Social and cultural changes, 1949-76

To what extent did the status of women change between 1949 and 1976?

• Women had little rights - expected to be obedient etc.
• Communists promised the freedom of women
• Communists wanted to destroy family as social unit - followed confucius and was bourgeoisie

Foot binding

• Breaking toes of young girls and folding to make smaller - seen as attractive
• Officially banned in 1911, but still in practice
• Communists banned it - ended quicker

The marriage law, 1950

• Changed from contractual agreement to a freely entered individual process
• Mao hated arranged marriage - refused his own
• Mao wanted freedom of women and recognised value as half the population
• Main clauses:
  • Arranged marriages outlawed
  • People forced to marry could divorce
  • All marriages and divorces registered with government
  • Divorce easier on equal terms
  • Women could retain property when married
  • Concubinage and polygamy outlawed
• Communists tackled issue quicly with propoganda etc. - shows importance
• However traditional attitudes hard to change, especially in muslim regions - shown by second campaign in 1953

The impact of collectivisation on women's lives

• 1950 Agarian Reform Law - women could own property. Quickly reversed in collectivisation
• Communes in theory good for women: canteens, kindergartens, laundries etc. freed them
• However, facilities rarely provided or good standard
• Hard labour put women at disadvantage - earned less work points
• No consideration for pregnancy or menstration
• Women suffered in famine - earned less food and had to feed children. Drove them to prostitution. Divorces higher and some wives sold

Women and the family

• Communist wanted to destroy family values - seen as confucian.
• Comunes supposed to reduce women's roles as family raisers
• Changes to sudden - women disorientated
• Children and elderly suffered most in famine - extra mouths to feed
• After famine, men tried to claim back sold wives. Caused chaos for Party
• Family considered one of 'four olds' - parents attacked in Cultural Revolution
• Teenagers seperated from families after Cultural Revolution disrupted the family - hard to integrate back in
• Party needed to restrict population growth (though Mao liked mass mobilisation)
• 1962 - contraceptives made available
• 1971 - campaign by Mao to reduce family sizes - family planning

The nature and extent of change

• Arranged marriages decreased sharply - people divorced in unhappy marriages
• Authority of parents replaced with head of work units
• Female employment increased sharply in 5-year plans - however piecework meant they earnt less
• Hard to move up hierachy, dominated by men
• Still not many women in higher education
• Women expected to fill male roles - not allowed to do their own thing
• Cultural Revolution bad for women - attacks on family and gender issues not important
• Had to do violent things

The problem of changing traditional views, especially in the countryside

• Most resistance in rural areas, especially western Muslim areas
• Cadres used propoganda in these areas
• All-China Women's Federation trained male cadres
• However, still strong male resistance
• Women not treated equally in agricultural work - heavy labour meant less work points
• Party keen to change, but hard to…