In the past few weeks of CDE lessons, the individual presentations
saw active discussion and critical thinking among my classmates and I have many
takeaways regarding the case study and issues being explored.
I would like to reflect on the progress of gender equality in China
and America. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2012 done by World
Economic Forum, the United States was ranked 22 while China was ranked 69, out
of a total of 135 countries. United States was ranked first in terms of education
attainment while China was ranked 85. This means that in United States, both
women and men are allowed to be educated and are not deprived of any chances. United
States ranked eighth in economic participation and opportunity with China
ranking only 58. Lastly, United States was ranked 55 for political attainment
and China ranked 58. In other words, gender gap in United States is
considerably smaller than that in China but political attainment in the USA is
still an area that needs to be improved.
Progresses in gender equality have saw quantum leaps in both United
States and China with the rise in feminism ideas.
According to Kay Boardman, in the Victorian
Periodicals Review 33, The Ideology of Domesticity: The Regulation of the
Household Economy in Victorian Women's Magazines (2000), he puts forth that,
“The domestic ideal centered around the concept of separate spheres which
inserted women into the domestic space and the men into the public (p. 150)”. The
culture of Victorian Domesticity in 19th century America permeated every aspect
of life, and magazines such as Peterson's Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book,
could be found promoting Victorian Domesticity. It was then established that
women’s roles in society were to take up the responsibilities of doing
housework, child-rearing and that caused the women to be deprived of the
privileges of education. Women do not have the rights to vote then. With the
emerging role of women’s role in the Civil War, the Congress ratified the 19th
amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote in on August 18, 1920.
This was the first step towards gender equality. The road towards the present
USA which was ranked first in education attainment was the hard work of many
previous generations of feminists.
According to Yuhui Li in the Women's
Movement and Change of Women's Status in China “The three components of
"filial piety" stipulated that women must obey men, citizens must
obey their ruler and the young must obey the elderly. For thousands of years,
the rules of these three obediences helped maintain the patriarchal social order
in China. Abusive practices and behaviors such as the sale and purchase of
women, wife-beating, and female infanticide were not uncommon.” The May Fourth
Feminist movement in 1919 (or known as the New Culture Movement) was the first feminist movement in China that hoped to end the patriarchal family in favour of individual freedom and women's liberation. This movement, however, included and was affected by only a small number of
urban and elite women. As China continues to be affected by Western influences and continues to undergo reforms and developments,
“China Dominates List of Female Billionaires” and “Women in China: the Sky’s
the Limit” are some recent examples from the international press that proves as
evidence of China’s improvement in gender equality.
However, gender equality in USA and China still needs time and I believe
it will be unattainable in the near future due to the continued dominance of
males in the politics and economic spheres.
In the United States,
although women have been participating in congress and making important
decision for the country, women only held 18.3% of the seats in the 113th
US congress. Despite women being portrayed as CEO and held high positions in
large corporations such as Marissa Mayer, the inconvenient truth is that SHE is rarely the boss. This is
also the same in China. Yes, China has seen growth in the number of female
billionaires, but there is a criterion- this
only applies to women who are the elites and dwell in the city. Nearly
half of China’s population is still rural. The picture for rural women in China is very different.
Hence, I believe that the progress in gender equality in both
societies is still ongoing.
