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A Recent Movement to Redefine the Role and Status of Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Elisabeth Croll
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Extract

At the outset of the recent anti-Confucian and Lin Piao campaign it was forecast that this movement would “ surely create still more •r favourable conditions for the emancipation of women.” x To create conditions advantageous to women the campaign set out to identify the obstacles inhibiting the redefinition of the role and status of women, j The identification of problem areas is not a new element in the history of the women's movement, indeed the problems have been stated time and again. The significance of this campaign lies in its concentrated and analytical attempt to integrate the redefinition of the female role with a nation-wide effort to change the self-image and expectations of both men and women. In this it provides a contrast with the strategy of the previous national campaign, the Cultural Revolution. Historically the women's movement has been very much concerned with raising the confidence of women in their own individual and collective abilities and translating the individual experience of suppression into a coherent analysis of oppression, but there is evidence to suggest that there was too little attention given to the position of women in the Cultural Revolution. For instance many associations and enterprises encouraged their members to believe that so long as overall revolutionary aims were fulfilled, there was no need to pay” particular attention to the position of women.2 The recent campaign and its application to practical problems among both men and women is a new recognition that because of their history of oppression it is still necessary to pay special attention to the restraints that continue to hinder the redefinition of women's role and status in society.

Type
Research Note
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 71 , September 1977 , pp. 591 - 597
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1977

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References

1. “ Let all women rise up,” Jen-min jih-pao editorial, 8 March 1974.

2. See Report Revolutionary Committee, Communist Party Lochang Hsien, Kwangtung Province, Hung ch'i, 1 February 1971; Report Writing Group, Communist Party Hunan Provincial Committee, Hung ch'i, 1 September 1971; Role of Women on Revolutionary Committees, Wen-hui pao, 14 June 1968. My own interviews with women leaders in the summer of 1973 confirmed this impression that revolutionary committees had paid less than sufficient attention to woman work during the Cultural Revolution.

3. Peking Radio, 6 February 1975; Anwhei Radio, 6 February 1975.

4. Foochow Radio, 7 January 1974. Emphasis added.

5. When the Communist Party became the national government in 1949 it predicted that improvement in female status or the degree of participation in political activities which gave women access to and control over the strategic resources of society would closely follow participation in social production.

6. For example: creches, nurseries and those for socializing laundry, mending, sewing, dining and food preparation.

7. Jen-min editorial, 2 January 1958.

8. Chung-kuo fu-nii, 1 November 1960.

9. jen-mineditorial, 8 March 1973.

10. Po-lan, Yang and Pei-chen, Chan, “Smash the mental shackles that bind and enslave women,” Jen-min, 202 1974Google Scholar.

11. Red Detachment ofSquad, Women, “Women can prop up ‘Half of Heaven,’ “ Kuang-ming jih-pao, 14 01 1974Google Scholar;

12. Fu-wen, Ching, “ The ways of Confucius and Mencius are ropes that bind and enslave women,” Jen-min, 27 01 1974Google Scholar;

13. Lo-ying, Sun and Li-fen, Lu, “ On Confucian persecution of women in history,” Hsueh-hsi yu p'i-p'an, 10 01 1975Google Scholar;

14. Red Detachment ofSquad, Women, Kuang-ming jih-pao, 14 01 1974Google Scholar;

15. Iron Girls’ Team of Taching Brigade, “We revolutionary women bitterly hate the doctrines of Confucius and Mencius,” Hung ch'i, 3 March 1974; Women Oil Extracting Team, of Taching Oilfield, “ Smashing the iron chains of 1,000 years rstanding, Kuang-ming jih-pao, 6 March 1974; Fu-wen, Ching, Jen-min, 27 January 1974.Google Scholar Whether Lin Piao said all these things has yet to be verified, but what is important for the position of women in this campaign is that these are the types of views which were to be criticized.

16. Po-lan, Yang and Pei-chen, Chan, Jen-min, 2 02 1974Google Scholar;

17. Red Detachment ofSquad, Women, Kuang-ming jih-pao, 14 01 1974Google Scholar;

18. Lo-ying, Sun and Li-fen, Lu, Hsueh-hsi yii p'i-p'an, 10 01 1975Google Scholar;

19. Ibid. Theory Group of a People's Liberation Army Unit, “ Women are a great force in the revolution,” Jen-min, 8 March 1975. They singled out a number of peasant uprisings for study: in 17 A.D. occurred the first identifiable peasant uprising to have been launched and led by a woman; in a peasant rebellion during the Tang dynasty a woman, Chen Sho-chi, had led a peasant force 10,000 strong and had become the first woman empress; and the Taiping Rebellion of the mid-19th century had produced the most ambitious programme to redefine the role of women.

20. No. 30Shanghai, Cotton Mill, “ Reveal the reactionary features of women's classics,” Hsueh-hsi yii p'i-p'an, 20 09 1974Google Scholar;

21. Girls’, IronTeam of Tachai Brigade, Hung ch'i, 3 03 1974Google Scholar;

22. The most common saying cited disparages the leadership of women. For example when a woman assumed a leading role men were found to use sayings which meant that it was like a donkey taking the place of a horse which can only lead to trouble.

23. Of particular note is the number of articles referring to women who have overcome taboos to enter occupations to do with agriculture and fishing.

24. Women Oil Extracting Team of Oilfield, Taching, Kuang-ming jih-pao, 6 03 1974Google Scholar. A few study groups were reported to be so challenged that they immediately set out to prove their own abilities and the fallacy of ancient sayings. For examples see CCP Committee of the Shanghai Iron and Steel Plant, No. 5, “ Our primary task is to go on carrying out well the movement to criticize Lin Piao and Confucius,” Kuang-ming jih-pao, 18 February 1975; NCNA, 7 April 1975.

25. Seec for example: Party Committee of Second Wuchou Municipal Light and Chemical Industries Bureau, “ Pay attention to developing female membership of the Party,” Hung ch'i, 1 July 1974.

26. See Theory-Study Group of Tien Chun Commune et al., “ The anti-Lin Piao and Confucian campaign,” Jen-min, November 1974.

27. See Sun Lo-ying and Lu Li-fen, Hsueh-hsi yu p'i-p'an, 10 January 1975; ” Chinese women criticize Confucian-Mencius concept of male supremacy,” NCNA, 7 March 1975.

28. SeeLo-ying, Sun and Li-fen, Lu, Hsueh-hsi yu p'i-p'an, 10 01 1975Google Scholar;

29. Party Committee of Second Wuchou Municipal Light and Chemical IndusflHDtau, Hung ch'i, 1 July 1974; Iron Girls’ Team of Tachai Brigade, Hung fH 3 Irfarch 1974; Honan Radio, 22 October 1974; NCNA, 7 March 1975.

30. Party Committee of Second Wuchou Municipal Light and Chemical Industries Bureau, Hung ch'i, 1 July 1974.

31. Fu-wen, Ching, Jen-min, 27 01 1974; Jen-min, editorial, 8 March 1974.Google Scholar