An Analysis of The Change of Female Status from The Historical Dimension of Chinese and Western History

Abstract

By analyzing the historical dimensions of both China and the West, the evolution of female status in both China and the West is largely driven by similar factors, including three basic ones:labour, reproduction and culture. In China, despite the emancipation of women since the founding of the People's Republic of China and the significant improvement in their status, women continue to suffer from stereotypical gender discrimination in the labour market, in childbearing, in family life and in other areas, due to the long-standing influence of the traditional idea of "men's superiority over women". By using gender analysis, this paper identifies the reason why these phenomenon are so easily overlooked, and points out that, besides technological factor, the human nature is also an important factor affecting female status. Finally, in the light of legal, educational and cultural considerations, it suggests that legislators should incorporate gender awareness in the process of the enactment of law, gender education should be included in the education reform, and female cultural confidence and identity should be re-constructed.