Femininity and masculinity in Chinese culture

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-49
Author(s):  
Wang Huan
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Sexual Pleasure ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
The Family ◽  
Femininity And Masculinity ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
The One ◽  
Population Numbers

n traditional Chinese culture, the concepts of femininity and masculinity are “plural categories” which are based on family and society, hence they are not clearly distinguished nor opposite to each other. In ancient times, people valued the power of women, channelling it by saying that women should devote themselves to benefiting the state. Meanwhile, society oppressed women by limiting them to their marital homes in order to eradicate men’s unconscious fear of the destructive side of feminine power. On the other hand, for Chinese men, sexual pleasure and aggression were unwelcome, while the mother–son relationship was most important within the family, and comradeship and brotherhood between men another important aspect of relationships. Profoundly mutual relationships were not encouraged between men and women in ancient China. Even until now, all men and women and their intimate relationships have been in the service of politics. The interests of the family and state are placed above individual interests. However, the one-child policy, as the product of government decision based on population numbers rather than human factors, and implemented by coercion, has produced a generation of empowered daughters and “little emperors” who increasingly value and appreciate individualism. The new generations must learn how to develop new forms of mutuality between the partners, with evolving implications for masculinity and femininity.

The abortion of female foetuses and the killing of newborn girls in China—the power of unconscious phantasies

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-229
Author(s):  
Alf Gerlach
Keyword(s):  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Gender Specific

In China, the one-child policy has cemented the imbalance between male and female newborns, the social and psychological consequences of which are difficult to assess. The targeted abortion of female foetuses goes back to traditions anchored in Confucian culture. This article examines the tensions in gender relations and in the inner representation of gender that are linked to the practice of gender-specific abortion. Using examples from psychoanalytic self-experience groups, the article shows how such conflicts can break out and be expressed in the individual psyche, but also between the group participants. With the help of the distinction between an ethnic and an idiosyncratic unconscious, an attempt is made to better understand the specific inner representation of gender in men and women in China. The author explores male reaction formations against women, male fear of castration, and of control by women through men's mothers, as well as a kind of ongoing unconscious "duel between the sexes" that involves gender discrimination that continues to this day.

Fertility and some determinants of fertility decline in Huaibei Plain, Anhui province, China, 1982

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanhe Yang
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Fertility Decline ◽  
Marital Fertility ◽  
Anhui Province ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
The Family ◽  
The One ◽  
Contraceptive Practice

SummaryThis paper examines the level and trend of fertility in Huaibei Plain, Anhui province, China, since 1950 and considers some determinants of fertility decline. The data used are from the 1/1000 survey of China which was conducted by the Family Planning Commission in 1982.Fertility decline among younger women (aged under 30) is largely due to later age at marriage, the marriage pattern of Huaibei Plain having changed from early and universal marriage to later and universal marriage. Current use of contraception suggests that the family planning programme, in particular the one-child policy (1979), has been the major determinant in fertility decline. The greatest decline in marital fertility occurred among women aged 35+ and is primarily due to contraceptive practice and induced abortion.

China's three-children policy will see limited success

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Social Control ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Limited Success ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
Vested Interests ◽  
The One

Significance This year it increased the limit to three. The one-child policy has served more to exacerbate than to alleviate demographic problems, leaving China with an ageing population and shrinking workforce much sooner than other countries at this stage of economic development. Impacts Rising infertility will play a part in depressing birth rates. Vested interests and the government's proclivity for social control will prevent the wholesale abolition of family planning. National and local authorities will introduce policies to promote reproduction; not all of them will necessarily be socially liberal.

scholarly journals The Effect of China’s Two-Child Policy on the Child Sex Ratio: Evidence From Shanghai, China

2022 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 004695802110679
Author(s):  
Di Tang ◽  
Xiangdong Gao ◽  
Jiaoli Cai ◽  
Peter. C. Coyte
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
Pregnancy Status ◽  
The One ◽  
Male To Female ◽  
Municipal Level

Objective: The bias towards males at birth has resulted in a major imbalance in the Chinese sex ratio that is often attributed to China’s one-child policy. Relaxation of the one-child policy has the potential to reduce the imbalance in the sex ratio away from males. In this study, we assessed whether the bias towards males in the child sex ratio was reduced as a result of the two-child policy in China. Medical records data from one large municipal-level obstetrics hospital in Shanghai, East China. Design: Matching and difference-in-differences (MDID) techniques were used to investigate the effect of the two-child policy on the imbalance in the sex ratio at birth after matching for pregnancy status and socioeconomic factors. Results: Analyzing 133,358 live births suggest that the relaxation of the one-child policy had a small, but statistically significant effect in reducing the imbalance in the male to female sex ratio at birth. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that relaxation of the one-child policy reduced the imbalance in the male to female sex ratio at birth from 1.10 to 1.05 over the study period at one of the major obstetrics and gynecology hospitals in China.

scholarly journals EFEK KEBIJAKAN SATU ANAK TERHADAP KEHIDUPAN PEREMPUAN DI TIONGKOK: SEBUAH IRONI

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Wabilia Husnah
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Deng Xiaoping ◽  
Criminal Cases ◽  
School Work ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
The One

In the Chinese tradition that is influenced by the Confusianism, women are seen to have lower positions than men. In such a social system, the One-Child policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping since 1979 as a program to control the population, underpin the inferiority perception upon Chinese women. This article aims analyze the effects of the China’s One Child Policy towards Chinese women’s lives. It is important to understand how Chinese Women live after their lives have been affected by this Policy, in a good or a bad way. The results show that One Child Policy has negative impacts on Chinese women’s lives. It does not only lead to discrimination views againts women, but also indirectly violate a Chinese woman’s social, cultural and economic rights. Criminal cases overshadow the Chinese women, ranging from torture, neglect of children, abortion, illegal adoption, human trafficking, kidnapping, and even prostitution. On the other hand, all criminal cases makes women become “rare “ and “special” objects in China. Ironically, the scarcity of women in China actually cause the higher bargaining power of women. Now in their lives, Chinese women can go to school, work, choosing a spouse, or even file for divorce. Women’s social status in Chinese society has increased now. It means that women also obtain the positive impact of One-Child Policy.Keywords: women, confucianism, the one child policyAbstrakDalam tradisi Tiongkok yang dipengaruhi oleh Konfusianisme, perempuan selalu memiliki posisi lebih rendah daripada laki-laki. Dalam sistem sosial seperti ini, Kebijakan Satu Anak yang diperkenalkan oleh Deng Xiaoping sejak 1979 sebagai program untuk mengontrol populasi, turut mendukung inferioritas wanita Tiongkok. Artikel ini mencoba menganalisis efek Kebijakan Satu Anak di Tiongkok kepada kehidupan perempuan. Sangat penting untuk memahami bagaimana perempuan Tiongkok menjalani hidupnya pascakehidupannya telah dipengaruhi oleh kebijakan ini, dengan cara yang baik maupun yang buruk. Artikel ini berkesimpulan bahwa Kebijakan Satu Anak memiliki dampak negatif dalam kehidupan perempuan. Kebijakan ini tidak hanya menyebabkan pandangan diskriminatif terhadap perempuan, namun juga secara tidak langsung melanggar hak asasi dalam kehidupan sosial, kultural, dan ekonomi perempuan Tiongkok. Kasus kriminal pun membayangi perempuan Tiongkok, mulai dari penyiksaan, pengabaian anak perempuan, aborsi, adopsi ilegal, penjualan manusia, penculikan, bahkan prostitusi.Di lain pihak, semua kasus kriminal ini telah membuat perempuan menjadi objek yang “langka” dan “spesial” di Tiongkok. Ironisnya, kelangkaan perempuan di Tiongkok menyebabkan nilai tawar perempuan menjadi lebih tinggi. Sekarang, dalam kehidupan mereka, perempuan Cina bisa pergi ke sekolah, bekerja, memilih pasangan hidup, bahkan menuntut cerai. Status sosial perempuan dalam masyarakat Tiongkok pun sudah meningkat sekarang. Ini berarti, perempuan Tiongkok juga telah mendapatkan efek positif dari Kebijakan Satu Anak.Kata kunci: perempuan, konfusianisme, kebijakan satu anak

Developing expertise in psychoanalytic couple and family therapy in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-246
Author(s):  
Janine Wanlass
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
The West ◽  
Couple And Family Therapy ◽  
Psychoanalytic Training ◽  
The Past ◽  
One Child Policy ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
Divorce Rates ◽  
The One

The author traces the development of a collaborative psychoanalytic training programme for couple and family therapists in China, launched through the shared efforts of Drs David Scharff, Jill Savege Scharff, Janine Wanlass, Fang Xin and Gao Jun, enrolling more than 400 students over the past twelve years. The stressors of economic change, greater interaction with the West, legacies left by the Cultural Revolution, challenges associated with the one-child policy, and escalating divorce rates created a need for therapists to intervene with Chinese couples and families exhibiting distress (Scharff, 2020, 2021). A training programme was conceived, including didactic teaching from an object relations perspective, a live clinical demonstration of psychotherapy with a couple or family, and small process groups led by Chinese therapists to help trainees integrate affective, cognitive, and behavioural learning components. The author contends that the success of this programme was largely dependent on a collaboration of cultures and personnel, as American teachers learned about psychoanalytic thinking from a Chinese cultural lens and Chinese administrators, faculty, and students discovered effective ways to address the mental health struggles of Chinese couples and families.

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