“Women are able to hold up half the sky!”—– Mao Tse-Tung praising the outstanding performance of Chinese women in the 1960’s.

For thousands of years, tradition held that Chinese women must “obey the father before marriage, obey the husband in marriage, and obey the son after the husband’s dead”. That women were inferior was universally accepted, even institutionalized, by the feudal culture of the ancient country.

Considering this patriarchal legacy, it may come as a surprise that gender equality, especially in cities, has largely become reality in modern China. Government studies discovered that, at the turn of the century, Chinese women made up 45.3% of the total workforce, and the employment rate amongst women had reached nearly 80%. This remarkable transformation is closely tied to China’s equally remarkable history over the past 60 years.

Mao Tse-Tung, the founder of modern China, was from a peasant family in the country’s rural South. Mao’s idealism and romanticism was far better suited to his roles as poet and revolutionary, than it did his subsequent roles as governor and policy maker. He strongly believed that “human power is able to conquer nature”. At the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, he and his party wanted to put this belief to the test, aiming to “break all of the old Chinese traditions and create a new China”

One such tradition that stood in the way of a new China was the subordination of women, and women’s liberation became one of the party’s central missions. The most radical push that Mao made in the movement for gender equality was in the workplace. When Mao’s government started the socialist transformation campaign in the 1950’s, they adopted the slogans “Everybody Works” and “Work is Honorable”, even decrying that those who did not work “should not be fed”. To support in this communist construction policy was regarded as an important symbol of affirmation for the young government. Women, alongside men, were asked to lend their support.

Most employees who had worked under the old system were absorbed into professions essential in the creation of the “new China”. The government mobilized armies of young women and housewives, who moved from their homes and families to new workplaces. Despite having only domestic and childrearing work experience, these women were encouraged to actively take part in the construction of their motherland.

At the time, this revolutionary change was not universally regarded as positive. Many Chinese women, used to a life without great rigors or responsibility, were unenthusiastic about the campaign. Others, while appreciative of the chance for advancement felt uncomfortable flying in the face of the sexist traditions that he had adhered to their entire lives. That said, most women saw that it was a great opportunity. For poor families, it was incredibly positive to have the extra income. Women also began to realize that there were benefits beyond simply earning money. They could earn respect as well.

In the end, the campaign was successful and opened up new roles and possibilities for Chinese women. These new workers were placed in factories, on neighborhood committees, in schools and government departments. From that time, the home ceased to be women’s only field. They went to the workplace alongside men. Some advanced still further, taking important roles such as the heads of organizations. For the first time in thousands of years, the position of Chinese women was actively promoted.

Today, this campaign is the least criticized of all the previous campaigns launched by the party during the last century. Despite mistakes and miscalculations in other sectors, the “Everybody Works” policy offered young women and homemakers, the opportunity to develop important skills and throw off the stifling restraints of a controlling patriarchy.

The transformation fundamentally subverted the old traditions that held that women could only serve their families by subordinating themselves to men. It has powerfully impacted Chinese family life and culture at large. However, the transformation has not come without some negative effects. The ramifications of these changes still affect Chinese women in many aspects of their lives.
Mao often encouraged Chinese women to accomplish ever greater things: “that which men can achieve, women also can do”. During the twenty-seven years of his control, mainland China was home to female government officials, female pilots, even female miners, as well as many ordinary female workers.

During the Cultural Revolution launched by Mao in the late 1960s, countless “Iron-like Girls”, strong hardworking women inspired by government propaganda, emerged, incited by government propaganda. Imitating their male counterparts, these female workers fervently contributed what they could. Despite physical limitations, they entered into every field, including those manual labor sectors traditionally dominated by men.

Under Mao, gender equality was continually strengthened, most especially in women’s consciousness. Equality became a central goal in all levels of government, as well as in the words in the mouths of many women. Meanwhile, the traditional cultural roles of Chinese women were forgotten, or mentioned disapprovingly. These efforts saw China’s female employment rates skyrocket. During The Cultural Revolution, China surpassed other Asian countries with similar cultural origins like Japan and South Korea.

That era overemphasized the collective and neglected the feelings of the individual. The women’s liberation movement succeeded in giving women the same roles in society as men. It did nothing to acknowledge the inherent differences between the sexes. The femininity of Chinese women was largely ignored. When acknowledged, it was denounced as reactionary and a detriment to socialist development.

There were few differences between the feminine attire and that of men, the infamous “Mao style”. Clothing that accentuated the female form were condemned as outlandish and were sometimes destroyed by communist enthusiasts. If a woman was not competent at physical labor, she might be labeled as bourgeoisie or censured by the party. Expected “to fight” as men, Chinese women gradually moved farther and farther from the gentle, charming characteristics of traditional eastern women.

Nevertheless, it would be foolish to ignore the positive effects that the Communist party had on the improved status of Chinese women. Frequent mismanagement and the prosecution of ill-advised political have led to strong disapproval from amongst the party’s harshest critics. However, many people have affirmed the contributions of the Chinese Communist Party to female liberation. The improvement of women’s status through this liberation has contained profound flaws. It is improvement, nonetheless.
The legacy of this improvement can be seen in profound ways as China’s development continues at a fervent pace. Many Chinese women on the mainland regard starting a career as the standard path, rather than the exception. Additionally, they prefer to stay in the workplace even after getting married and having children. Surely, economic development is a driving force, but it is not the only motivation for women in the workplace.

However, money is not only motivation for Chinese female workers. After the launching of the reform policy, income levels increased and grew more diverse. Many people became much richer. The percentage of females employed in the year 2000, under the market economy system, as mentioned before is only slightly lower than the peak value within the planned economy. Some mothers even prefer to pay nannies to take care of their kids so that they can go to the office. For many women, not relying on men and having an equal status has become an important principle. Perhaps this dedication to equality is the latest definition of “a new China”.

Independence, gender equality, as well as not being weaker than men is clearly a salient issue for Chinese women. That “the women are able to hold up half of sky” is a crucial idea that mainland Chinese women cannot abandon.

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