Gender Inequity in China and Korea

Rafal Sawicz

Professor Asen

Far Eastern History II

April 26th, 2016

Gender Inequity In China and Korea

        Throughout the history of Eastern Asia women have been suppressed to men as shown through numerous examples. The teachings of Confucianism made men control women, making gender inequity the social norm. Men controlled every aspect of their wives’ lives till even after he passed away. It was an ideology women were raised to believe and follow from one generation to the next. Women who were married and even independent followed this ideology for years for they had no power or social mobility to do anything to over come the suppression they receive from the men in their society. Throughout these articles, the authors detailed these evident issues about inequity towards women having no privileges and suppression. The authors wrote in detail about these similar issues that women faced because of the old teachings of Confucianism, but proposed different “call to actions” to improve their status. All of the “call to actions” would help improve inequity. Some of these propositions were by giving women their freedom of being independent through political and social movements, not having to live their life to adjust a husband’s life by being a prisoner, and as well as not having to be forced into marriage through parents. Through these various philosophies and ideas proposed Chinese and Korean women wanted improve their social circumstances that they had to face of inequity in their male dominated societies. These improvements helped move China and Korea towards the path of gender equality from their old fashion Confucianism ideology. 

        Firstly, the old fashion teachings of Confucianism made women suppressed in their society for it promoted male selfishness. In the essay by He Zhen she writes about how women had to work in harsh conditions if they are independent. If a woman was independent she had to work for money to get her next meal. Zhen writes about the leaders of society suppressing women through capitalism. In the society of capitalism women had to work hard for their money and often were treated horribly wrong. They were either servants, factory workers, or prostitutes with no social mobility “and they must swallow their resentment no matter how they were they mistreated” (He Zhen 722). If a woman was married, her husband would usually work and the she would stay home and take care of the house while he was gone. This would not let women have any freedom for they were technically private property of the husband. Therefore, even if a woman tried to be an independent she was still suppressed because of the ruling class where men were at the top of the society. By abusing their power over women by just getting them by.