The Feminism Comparison between China and America in Early 20-century.doc

《The Feminism Comparison between China and America in Early 20-century.doc》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Feminism Comparison between China and America in Early 20-century.doc（14页珍藏版）》请在淘文阁 - 分享文档赚钱的网站上搜索。

1、二十世纪初中美女权主义对比The Feminism Comparison between China and America in Early 20-centuryAbstract: In a male-oriented world, China and American women, like women in most other countries, often find themselves living in a world with far fewer opportunities to enjoy than men do. While there are differences i

2、n degree in terms of injustice done them by the societies in which they live, one thing in common among the women around the world is that they are not regarded as their mens equals. They were fighting the tyranny of the patriarchal state in nineteenth century. Over the centuries, and in many differ

3、ent countries, women have spoken out for their sex, their hopes，in different ways. To compare feminism with America, Chinese feminism perhaps can be called feminism ideology or feminism awareness. American feminism is the product of Civil Rights Movement. The personality awareness of American women

4、is stronger and earlier than Chinese women for two hundred to three hundred years.Key words: injustice; equals; feminism; awareness; movement摘 要： 在男性为主导的世界,中国和美国的女性和许多国家的女性一样，发现她们自己在这个世界上享受的机会比男性少。在社会生活中，她们总是受到不同程度的不公平对待，全世界的妇女有一个共同之处在于她们没有同男人一样的权利。在十九世纪她们奋起反抗父权制。近几个世纪在不同的国家，妇女们通过不同的方式言说她们的性别和愿望。和美国

5、女权主义相比，中国女权主义只能称作女权思想或女权意识。美国女权主义是民权运动的产物。美国妇女的性别意识强于中国妇女，其女权意识也早于中国二三百年。关键词：不公正；平等；女权主义；意识ContentsI. A Brief Introduction of Feminism.1 II. The Origins of Feminism Awareness.2A. Origins of Feminism Movement in America.2B. Origins of Feminism Movement in China.3III. The Development of Feminism.3A. W

6、omens Movement in America.3B. Womens Movement in China.6IV. The Different Feminism between America and China.9A. Ideological and cultural factors.9B. Social and historical factors.10V. Conclusion.11Works Cited.13I. Introduction Over the centuries, and in many different countries, women have spoken o

7、ut for their sex, hopes in different ways, as this is a very short introduction; this paper concentrates on feminism about its origin, development and comparison between China and America. Just as troubling is the caution that the term “feminism” seems to arouse in many different young women, a surp

8、rising number of whom seem to feel shy from the concept. In that male-oriented world, China and American women, like women in most other countries, often find themselves living in a world with far fewer opportunities than men have. While there are differences in degree in terms of injustice done the

9、m by the societies in which they live, one thing in common among the women around the world is that they are not regarded as their mens equals.Since 1919, May Fourth Movement had gone through ninety-one years; meanwhile equally symbolic significance in 1995 World Conference on Women had also gone th

10、rough fifteen years. With the continuous endeavor, gender equality as a national basic policy and guidance in the promotion of such ideas had made great progress, and also had played an important role in building a harmonious development of society. Human rights are not only a measure of national ci

11、vilization progress, but also a fundamental guarantee of social liberation. According to Chinese national conditions and history, that social liberation, individual liberation and womens liberation are related closely. Today, the fight for gender have become the mainstream of the worlds, but how to

12、implement, it would be a perpetual quest up and down proposition. From 18th century to 20th century, America womens movement could be divided into three stages. By the end of the 1960s, the womens movement had succeeded in challenging nearly all of Americas traditional cultural assumptions about wom

13、ens proper place, and had become one of the medias biggest focus items, rivaling student demonstration, inflation, and the war in Vietnam for public attention. The more moderate wing of the government, as represented by now, challenged employment discrimination, bias against women in politics, and a

14、nti-female prejudice so dominant in Americas major economic and social institutions. The more radical wing of government, typified by young college graduates, organized in local communities to build day-care centers, fight for repeal of abortion laws, create womens health collectives, provide suppor

15、t for alternative life-styles, and above all, raise the consciousness of women to the cultural bondage of being categorized as a sex object. Through such a remarkable variety of activities, feminists successfully put their message across the country and managed to enlist an ever growing amount of su

16、pport from women, and men as well.II. The Origins of Feminism AwarenessFeminism originated from west, was a social theory and political movement that women were a major source of experience and motivation. In the west, firstly women pursued the equality between men and women, such as the right for v

17、ote. Chinese feminism was refers to women who tried to accomplish equality with men. It reflected kinds of womens thoughts, self-spirit and energy.A. Origins of Feminism Movement in AmericaAt any rate, staring in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, America women assumed a new s

18、ocial role as “republican mother” or “guardians of virtue”. They proudly claimed that modesty and purity were inherent parts of womens nature, and therefore women had unique qualifications for the tasks of spiritual uplifting. Consequently, American women managed to make their presence known in area

19、s previously unimaginable. For example, women now become more active in religious life, founding new sects in line with their own religious belief, organizing societies of various types to launch female revivalism, and using church resources to address female issues. While religious involvement did

20、not exert direct influence on American politics in any significant way, through active participation, American women gradually developed a sense of power among them and became increasingly eager and willing to exercise that power. More importantly, the widespread participation of females in religiou

21、s life helped to begin a new era in the history of women. For the first time, numerous women joined groups or institutions with an interest in social affairs. Those organizations offered them many opportunities to raise and discuss issues pertinent to them, and in the process, they slowly but surely

22、 learned to voice their concerns to the general public and make corresponding demands on it.B. Origins of Feminism Movement in China The earliest women agency in folk can be traced back to one thousand years in China, There are two ancient documents that found in Dunhuang can prove. After five dynas

23、ties and ten states, China folk had built up women agency that aimed at self-protect, self-assistance self-entertainment. However, this uncontainable “sub-cultural” agency did not make any menace to collapse China feudalism as longer as two thousand years down. Until the end of eighteen century and

24、the early nineteen century, Li ruzhen (1763-1830),who was influenced by the European Enlightenment made great concern on Chinese women who devastated by father-authority for thousand years.Kang Tongnbi whose father was Kang Youwei, was the first feminism advocated,and even the first student who stud

25、ied abroad in China history. After World War I, as a representative of Northern warlords government, she responded the Queen in Nether land peaceful summon. As a vice-leader she started publishing a magazine called Female Learning Magazine, also she was the leader of No Foot-binding Association. At

26、that time, Women were mainly struggled for abolishing the Foot-binding and the right for education. As an anti-feudal revolution pioneer, Qiu Jin couldnt tolerate the traditional role of woman in the family. For example, women must stay at home to do some housework, take care of their husbands and c

27、hildren year by year. So that she chose to joining the revolution and went away from home. Sometimes, in order to attend social activity, Qiu Jin dressed herself like a man. Shortly after Qiu Jin, a group of female who came from open-minded noble family or intercultural family influenced by west mod

28、ern atmosphere, especially the feminism thoughts. They looked down upon and refused to play their traditional roles. They struggled for women equal rights and social status, such as the famous writer Yang Jiangs aunts, they obeyed the parents command to get married, but after that, they broke up the

29、 relationship with their husbands parents and started life afresh. III. The Development of FeminismA. Womens Movement in AmericaBy 1830, it became clear that the womens opportunities to participate in the affairs of society far outstripped those who opened to women during the Revolution Ear. So the

30、paradoxical result of “republic mothers” concept was that while it was intended to keep women at home, raising children along the republican lines, the underling assumption that women were superior to men in morality somehow provided both opportunities and justification for womens engagement in soci

31、al affairs. During the mid-19th century, many of middle-and upper-class women joined together in voluntary associations such as missionary societies or womens clubs, and steadily moved into the public arena. They raise their concern over child labor, alcohol abuse, and factory safety conditions, all

32、 relating to moral uplifting endeavor in one way or another. Later on, as women became more and more conscious of their moral power and the clout that went with it, they found themselves increasingly involved in other types of social reform movements as well, especially the abolitionist movement. In

33、 all those activities, they frequently allied with younger women professionals who were to seek careers and transform the world they found around them. Together, they were going to open a new chapter in the America womens history. The America womens history began to take a new turn when some women a

34、ctivists developed a feminist ideology that argues that women had social and political rights is what we now understand as suffrage movement. In many ways, the movement for womens rights was shaped by the industrial revolution. On the surface, the industrial revolution seemed to limit womens influen

35、ce. It sharpened the lines of demarcation between the home and workplace and accentuated the division of labor within the home. Mothers, for example, became increasingly preoccupied with setting moral examples and providing console and support for the “working” members of family. Middle-class women

36、fostered a common identity in “womanhood”. They used it to enlarge their influence over decisions in all areas of family life, including the bearing of children and even their husbands choice of work. Shaping the ideas of the radical wing of the womens movement were the two abolitionists: Angelina a

37、nd Sarah Grimke. In 1837, responding to the demand of some Congregationalist clergymen that she cease speaking to mix male and female audience, “Sarah replied: The Lord Jesus defines the duties of his followers in his Sermon on the MountMen and women are CREATED EQUAL! They are both moral and accoun

38、table beings and whatever is right for man to do is right for women (Walters 60)”. By 1840, the Grimkes were asserting that traditional roles within the family amounted to “domestic slavery” of women.In 1848, a group of female activists took a critical step. They called a convention in Seneca Falls,

39、 in upstate New York. Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia, and joined by a few male sympathizers, the convention outlined, for the first time, a coherent program for womens equality. “Among their declared principles were that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by the C

40、reator with certain inalienable rights (Walters 63)”. And they involved using every instrumentality within their power to employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the state and national legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press on their behalf. The movement for womens rights was

41、 thus launched in America. During the 1850s, conventions of national womens rights were held annually, and there were numerous local and regional meetings. For example, the emphasis on establishing the right of married women to control their own property and earnings; guaranteeing custody of childre

42、n in the event of divorce; ensuring their right to sue or testify in court and so on. By 1860, for example, fourteen states, following New Yorks pioneering law of 1848, adopted laws protecting the property of married women in the event of the death or incapacitation of their husbands. Also in the 18

43、60, under the constant pressure of women, New York gave women the legal right to collect their own wages. In particular, the campaign for suffrage made little headway before the Civil War, and this caused tremendous concern to the womens movement. To emphasize on the overriding concern over this iss

44、ue as well as to press for the solution of it, a resolution was passed by the 1856 national convention of women, declaring the right of suffrage as the movements one cardinal demand. However, before they could put their plan and thoughts into action, the outbreak of the Civil War brought an abrupt h

45、alt to the struggle for suffrage.When the War was over, the suffrage movement was rekindled and gained a new momentum from the result of the War. As the Fifteenth Amendment made no reference to sex and thus allowed states to deny suffrage to women, people like Stanton and Anthony concluded that femi

46、nists should develop a political position of their own. In 1869, two women organizations were set up to deal with the suffrage issue. For twenties-one years, these two women organizations pushed the suffrage issue to the forefront of American public and demanded response from both the federal govern

47、ment and the general public, while at the same time competing with each other for the leadership of the womens movement. It was now clear that American women in the second half of nineteenth century began to develop political strategies independent of other reform movement.As women saw more and more

48、 things in common among themselves, they came to realize the importance as well as the necessity of putting their limited forces together. In 1890, the National American Women Suffrage Association was formed out of the above mentioned two women organizations, restoring unity to the movement. With their joint efforts, plus their unflinching determination, American women finally brought their hard work to