Page 278 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

women’s emancipation movements 2055

grassroots movements as well as recognition from inter- were not progressive because parenthood was seen as the
national groups. African women are rarely asked to help exclusive purview of women. Because of their heavy
design programs and strategies because standards for domestic duties, women were increasingly displaced in
evaluation are frequently projections of Western analyses labor and political arenas.When we see this from a gen-
and models. African women must be asked to project dered perspective, this is not true reform.
their own goals for their own futures; they should be These gender stereotypes and inequalities remained in
allowed to trust their own insights as the basis for resolv- effect during the postrevolutionary period, but little atten-
ing issues of gender equality. tion is given to this area because the greatest attention is
given to the economic reforms. Just as the socialist system
Socialism and the influenced by Marx and Engels did not bring true equal-
Power of the State ity for women, we have no reason to suppose that a free
International politics as well as historical events often market economy and democratic elections will change
affect attitudes toward women today. Countries that have male dominance and female subordination. No single
undergone radical political change demonstrate the inter- women’s movement has emerged in eastern Europe or in
action of the personal and the political.The rapid disin- the nations of the former Soviet Union. The millions of
tegration of a socialist or Communist political system ethnically and regionally disparate women would be
does not mirror a parallel change in gender relations. unlikely to identify with a single movement, and little
In socialist societies the view of women reflects that of assistance is offered by the rest of the world, which is
the German political philosopher Karl Marx and the Ger- focused on political and economic issues.
man socialist Friedrich Engels; that is, the subordination
of women is just another aspect of class oppression. Culture and Change: China
Engels believed that with the abolition of private property China presents an interesting amalgam of the gendered
and the integration of women into work, women would views of the socialist state but with distinctive regional
gain economic independence and equality.The flaw in this and social peculiarities. Traditionally people in China
construction is that male control of female sexuality and viewed women as having a passive role in society, and
inheritance predates the existence of the bourgeois family this view was further complicated by the term feminist.
and industrialization. In reality, in socialist societies the People viewed feminism as a Western concept, hence a
male political leadership often had much the same view of bourgeois concept to be avoided. The first women’s
the role of women as did their bourgeois counterparts. emancipation movement in China came about as a result
The notion of a large socialist family was quickly of state-initiated policy. In 1949, with the establishment
established as a desirable goal, and so abortion was abol- of the People’s Republic of China, the new socialist Chi-
ished in the Soviet Union in 1936.The state encouraged nese government decided to prohibit such oppressive cus-
women to remain primarily responsible for child care as toms as the binding of women’s feet and prostitution.The
well as to accept employment in the public arena. This official policy was to advocate full women’s employment.
Soviet model of women’s dual role was quickly adopted Women were given the rights to education, the vote, and
as the basis of state policy in eastern Europe, and the full employment. Because jobs were assigned, however,
needs of the state took precedence over those of women. women were frequently channeled into inferior or pow-
Because women were primarily responsible for activities erless positions. This fact was not recognized because
in the private sphere, they frequently received blame for women’s rights were seen as having been achieved
social problems such as juvenile crime and alcoholism, through the efforts of the state rather than through the
which were not addressed by the state. efforts of women themselves.
Under the socialist system radical measures were As was the case in the former Soviet Union,the People’s
implemented on maternity leave and child care, but they Republic of China shaped gender relationships to suit the