By Niya Diamo
Last week’s screening of the ‘female saturated’ film ‘Shadows in the Palace’ provided sufficient ground for some research on feminism and women’s status in the 21st century, especially in Eastern Asia. Not only that, the approach of the International Women’s Day and the screening of yet another film with a female director prompted some relatively curious research into the social state of women in East Asia.
Prior to the 20th century, women in China were considered essentially different from men, as women were believed to occupy a lower position than men in the hierarchal order of the universe. Women were to be submissive and obedient to men and were not allowed to participate in government or community institutions. Now this cultural perception is difficult to challenge. Whilst in Western feminism, the categories of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are understood as two equal real categories, Chinese culture perceives them as social categories, as gender has always influenced social status and the rights thereof.
Beginning in the 70s and continuing in the 80s, however, many Chinese feminists began arguing that the Communist government had been ‘consistently willing to treat women's liberation as something to be achieved later, after class inequalities had been taken care of’. Some feminists claim that part of the problem is a tendency on the government's part to interpret ‘equality’ as sameness, and to treat women according to an unexamined standard of male normalcy.
Japanese feminism differs from Western feminism in that it is less focused on individual autonomy. Prior to the 19th century, Japanese women were traditionally taught to obey a male, either a father, husband, or son. However, after the abolition of the feudal system, a number of changes were made in the status of women. Trafficking in women was restricted; women were allowed to request divorces; and both boys and girls were required to receive elementary education. Further changes to the status of women came about in the aftermath of World War II. Women received the vote, and the new constitution of 1946 stipulated equality between the sexes.
Today, because of the efforts of feminists and suffragettes, women’s status in East Asia is vastly different from a few decades ago. In China, women are encouraged to take part in the political and social processes. In Japan, Women began to participate in ever greater numbers in a range of economic and social activities. However, the equality of men and women has not been fully achieved in practice, for the traditional concept that women are to stay at home is still deeply rooted. Though women are enjoying an improved social status, society still adopts double standards to appraise men and women. Women's involvement in politics is still far from satisfactory and women are still discriminated against in the workplace.Labels: cueafs |
