Returning of girl’s power

Ronghang Zhang

Among the years that the idea of men superior to women took firm root in Chinese people’s minds, women in China have suffered since the moment they were born. Because of the one-child policy in China, the majority of Chinese parents believe that they cannot afford to raise a daughter by themselves. Tragedies like this do not only occur in one country but a bigger region as well. According to research, “in most parts of the South Asian region, the birth of a girl is seldom welcome. More often than not, the girl child receives less food, less nutrition, and medical care, and even less love and affection in a family.”[1] Even in the future phases in Chinese girls’ lives, people and the surrounding environment are not beneficial to them and their growth. Despite a Mao Zedong’s famous proclamation that “women hold up half the sky,” women in China still continue to receive less education, earn less money and fewer benefits. [2] The situation is that women who have the responsibility in their families are often in inferior positions in front of employment, job assignment, training, and promotion opportunities.

Both society and women themselves have made some welcome progress so far.  There are finally some results that women strived for years. Statistics show that “inequality across race and gender has declined since 1970. The black-white differential and the male-female differential have both dropped. Also, the labor force participation of women increased dramatically during this period.”[3] Not only China, but the whole world is also trying to boost gender equality. In 1995 in Beijing, China, the United Nation Fourth World Conference on Women adopted the Platform for Action–an agenda for women’s empowerment as a milestone for their advancement in the twenty-first century, focusing on equal rights for women and empowering them, which benefits not only women but also their families and communities.[4] Under the overall situation, women have won a “temporary victory”, but they are not satisfied and stopped. They even can be one of the world leaders today, and some of them have already been. For example, “as the greatest global investor in renewable energy initiatives, China is strongly poised to serve as a leader in the empowerment of women in this field. Such leadership would not only contribute to the promotion of gender equality but could have strategic benefits in promoting economic growth and adaptive solutions around climate change mitigation. Women – half of the world’s potential, and already at the forefront of such solutions at the local level – are poised to deliver.”[5]

Overall, it is promoted to view genders equally. It refers to equality in thoughts, access, and use of rights, rather than the absolute equality. As we noticed, the group of women has been obtained some progress so far, but it is still a long way to go.Work cited:

1. Sen, Anima, and Salma Seth. “Gender Identity of the Girl Child in South Asia.” Canadian Woman Studies, 1995. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2250226985?accountid=37588.

2. Riley, Nancy E. “China’s ‘Missing Girls’.” Honolulu Advertiser, Sept, 1995. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2267915772?accountid=37588.
3. Steelman, Aaron, and John A. Weinberg. “What’s Driving Wage Inequality?” ECONOMIC QUARTERLY, Summer, 2005. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2250590393?accountid=37588.

4 Becka, Melanie, and Marga Dorao-Moris. “Empowering Women.” UN Chronicle, June, 2005. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2262595293?accountid=37588.

5. “Empowering Women as Clean Energy Leaders.” China Daily, 08 Mar 2016, pp. 12. sirsissuesresearcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2265946326?accountid=37588.