Women's Social Status In China

Introduction

With the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the status of women in China changed dramatically. Mao once said “Women hold up half the sky”. The government was beginning to realise the importance of women in the growth of society and that the liberation of women was necessary for the country to realise complete emancipation. “Local and national government and sports bodies provided equal opportunities, in terms of finance, coaching and training, to young girls who had sports talent.” The rationale for this research topic is that emphasis has not been placed on Chinese female athletes in bringing about improvement in women’s social status. There have always been a high percentage of women athletes in China,

As Fan Hong puts it, “Sport gave a powerful thrust to women’s liberation in China.” Another school of thought highlights that other factors are largely responsible for the elevation of women’s social status, rather than women’s contributions to the sports sector. This is articulated by Dong Jinxia, who states, “The political, economic, cultural and social transformations under way in China and beyond will have reverberations for Chinese women and for Chinese sportswomen and their sport.” While both schools of thought cover the factors which caused the elevation of women’s social status in Chinese society in great depth, little attempt has been made to examine how sports women’s contributions elevated their social

It is inferred from the data-medal tally that Chinese sportswomen contribute significantly to the success of China. Nonetheless, the validity of this study still stands, as the case study of Li Na shows that women’s contributions to the sports sector indeed improve women's social status, although it is minimal compared to the increased social-economic opportunities from the reform period.

2) Most information found states that women are still experiencing discrimination and gender inequality in modern China. In terms of jobs, salary or healthcare, men still benefits more than women in terms of social status. Policies implemented by the Chinese Communist Party throughout the decades are not effective to a large extent in improving the social status of women in China. However, the validity of this study still stands as there has indeed been the elevation of women’s social status in China compared to during Mao’s era.