Reflective Journal Entry 2

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 113^th 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.