When speaking about women in Chinese society, one may come to the conclusion that they have come a long way. The role of women in ancient China was largely restricted to just their home(s). They were considered a liability until they were married and then sent to another household. Over time, after many changes, a woman’s role changed and they have come up in society significantly.
Women were not provided opportunities in employment and education. The first change came about in the republic years where they were provided the opportunity to seek education. It was viewed as a stepping stone to study alongside men. The distinction between men and women further became minimal with the arrival of Communism. What this event did for women was provide them the opportunity to hold jobs in their society. Under the rule of Mao, women held political positions and got to exercise their influence.
In the modern Communist era however, women found new interest and sense of freedom in music, movies and cultural occupations. During this time, foreign ideas and such were incorporated that were not a normal part of the culture. This included the ability to choose your own husband or be a stay at home mom.
Women began leaving the country of China in order to seek more employment and educational opportunities. The independence that was developed was not normal among the Chinese culture. Women were to look after themselves since they left their motherland and stand on their own two feet. The leaving and self-support of women in the Chinese culture is a huge factor in the development of Chinatowns across the world.
Throughout their childhood and adult life, Chinese women had to through a custom practice called footbinding. Footbinding is a process where the girl/woman’s toes are curled and bound up. This was a painful process to go through. It begins at the age of four to six years old. Girls feet were soaked in herbs and her toe nails were cut short. Second, a bandage roughly around 10 inches long and 2 inches in width was wrapped around the foot tightly. The four smaller toes were then broken and bound under the sole of the foot, making the foot supposedly shorter and making the arch more rounded. The bandage would be rebound and tightened every day. After a certain amount of years, the bandage would be removed. The foot then would have been healed in a deformed way and anywhere between 4-6 inches in size. As painful as footbinding already was, the art of it led to more problems. Girls and women were in so much pain, they would run away from home just to avoid the process. More physical problems arose as well that included problems with the back and spine as well as posture was ruined. Infections, odor and blisters requiring even more painful processes to remove became a problem as well. Circulation to the lower leg and feet was basically cut off and there would be nerve damage.
Women in China originally only were restricted to tending to their families and were to remain in their homes. With many events that enabled them a lot more opportunities and freedom, women were treated a lot more professionally and allowed to hold prominent and high level jobs.
http://theartoffootbinding.blogspot.com/2009/11/art-of-foot-binding.html
http://asiasociety.org/countries/traditions/women-traditional-china
http://globerove.com/china/women-in-chinese-culture/1788
http://chinawomenworkplace.blogspot.com/p/urban-women.html