Family and Society:
Changed or Unchanged?
Submitted for: British Culture
To: Professor Xiao
植泳仪
030924
Thesis: The division of household duties has been changing in the contemporary British society
and the status of women in Britain has also changed. However, the status of women is not so ideal
as they has expected. The situation in China will also be mentioned and compared with that of
Britain.
Outline
Introduction:
The past few decades has witnessed changing orientations to work and family roles. It means that
there are more opportunities for women to go to work. The status of women has also changed in
the process of family roles changing. Women get more recognition from the society and they
pursuit equality as men. However, their actual experience suggests that the promise of equality has
not yet fully materialized. These situations occurred both in Britain and China, though there are
some differences.
Body Part
I.
The conjugal roles and their changes
A. the traditional conjugal roles
a. men as breadwinners performing a work role outside the home
e.g. uninvolved with domestic chores and raising the children
b. women as wives and mothers performing family duties inside the home
e.g. doing the dishes, making breakfast, straightening up the living room
B. changes in conjugal roles
a. men involved more in housework
e.g. child care, making breakfast
b. women spent less time in household tasks
e.g. have lower housekeeping standards
purchase more goods and services in the market
C. reasons for the changes
a. change of concepts
b. redundant of the man
c. the only work available for wife who is better qualify
d. improved living standard
D. situation in China
a. the stress of taking care of the family tends to fall more on women
b. white-collar men are doing more and more housework and even doing more daily housework
than their wives in the more developed areas of China
II.
Relations between household tasks and the status of women
A. traditional stereotype of women
a. nurturers and care givers
b. low educational level
c. few job opportunities available
B. women nowadays
a.
b.
c.
d.
C.
a.
b.
D.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
economic dependence
less family-oriented
higher educational level
more job opportunities available
situation in China
traditional concept: “A woman with no talents is a virtue”
discrimination against women in rural areas
factors contributing to the changes
the advent of the industrial revolution
two world wars
equal rights of vote as men
women liberation movement
the late Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed that "women hold up half the sky."
III.
Problems faced by women and the reasons
A. Situation in Britain
a. A great proportion of women do more housework than before
b. few opportunities to hold a high position in the work
B. factors contributing to the problems
a. affected by traditional ideas of the society and the stereotype of women
b. imbalance between work and family
C. situation in China
a.
women were robbed of many career opportunities
b.
the conflict between their actual ability and the social structure
men are superior to women
c.
Conclusion
Although the division of household tasks has been changing and the husbands are more willing to
help their wives, the role of the modern housewife is shaped by several dilemmas. It is believed
that women’s status will not be improved until the housewife role is abolished. Women have
worked as housewives for many generations. Modern life has changed this role, but it has not
removed all the burdens and inequities.
Zhi Yongyi
Professor Xiao
English 0924
19 Dec. 2005
Family and Society: Changed or Unchanged?
The past few decades has witnessed changing relationship between men and women both in
society generally and the family specifically. More and more women jump out of their homes and
join the labor market. Accompanying the movement of women’s liberation, the status of women
has also been changed. Women get more recognition from the society and they have been pursuing
equality with men. In Britain, women now have full legal and political equality with men. Women
have progressed from being possessions of men, with no legal status of their own, to being
considered legal citizens in their own right. And in China, women are also struggling to get rid of
the stereotype of nurturers and care givers. Chinese women are inclined to think that they are
capable of achieving whatever men can achieve. However, some problems occurred during the
changing process. Women both in Britain and China find that it is hard for them to handle a
balance between work and family. Employed wives face considerable problems of strain and
exhaustion in both their work and family roles. And it is more difficult for Chinese women to get
promotion or held senior positions than British women.
The division of household tasks has been changing during the past few decades, which dues
to people’s different concepts towards work and family, unemployment of the men, and also the
improved living conditions. Traditionally in Britain, of the tasks considered, three functions were
dominantly the wife’s responsibility-doing the dishes, making breakfast, and straightening up the
living room. Decisions about the house, the car, life insurance, as well as responsibility for
household repairs, tended to fall into the husband’s field. (Work & Family P159) However, over
the last few decades, an unprecedented rise in the employment rate of married women has
significantly altered the economic role of women and the allocation of the household tasks. As
women demand more male participation in activities traditionally defined as feminine, and as they
begin to share and sometimes take over men’s traditional roles, some response on the part of men
is inevitable. In the past, a man standing at the kitchen sink or doing housework would be laughed
at by his work mates or colleagues. People would think that such a man was losing his masculinity.
Twenty years ago it would have been unthinkable for a government minister to say that he began
his day by cooking breakfast for five children and delivering them to their different schools. Yet,
Britain’s Energy Secretary, Peter Walker, stated in 1987 that this was part of his daily routine.
(Natalya) Another factors contribute to the change are the redundant of men and the only work
available is that for which the wife is better qualified. In Britain, there were high rates of
unemployment during the periods of the 1980s and early 90s. The jobs people lost were mostly
skilled jobs in manufacturing industry, which were regarded as 'men's jobs'. Massive cuts in state
spending have led to job losses in the public sector, which affected women equally. However,
because these jobs were usually semi-skilled or unskilled and low paid, the women were more
interchangeable as employees and could find part-time office work or cleaning work, similarly
low paid, elsewhere. (Natalya) The invention of the mechanical refrigerators, laundry appliances,
gas and electrical cooking ranges, and a variety of canned and processed foods also reduces the
burden of women’s housekeeping enormously. The situation in China is more or less the same
with that in Britain. Traditionally in China, it was generally accepted that husbands should work
and earn money to support their family, and the duty of wives was to stay home and take care of
the whole family. In most families, the wife is in charge of the housework. The proportion was 60
per cent in urban areas and 68 per cent in rural areas. (China Daily) China has also witnessed
some changes in conjugal roles. According to Zhang Minjie, a sociologist at Zhejiang Industry and
Commerce University, the more educated the husband, the more likely he is to do a share of the
chores. "White-collar men are doing more and more housework and even doing more daily
housework than their wives in the more developed areas of China," he said. (qtd. in Shao)
Nowadays, both the British and Chinese women have experienced the changes of the conjugal
roles, which due to various factors. However, more than that, women have also witnessed another
significant change in their lives, which is closely related to the change of family roles.
Since the family roles have changed and women nowadays are more and more capable, along
with which the status of women has been considerably improved. Women have been treated as
nurturers and care givers for a long time, and their lives at home are regarded as careers of
husbands and family. Less education opportunities are available for women, which leads to the
low literacy rate among women, their incapability to join the labor forces and weak
competitiveness when comparing to men. Due to the aforesaid reasons, women have been
suffering discrimination through ages. What is worse, the situations are much more severe here in
China. The traditional concept of the Chinese people is that “A woman with no talents is a virtue”,
so in the past, women were not allowed to go to school, to say nothing of going to work. The only
things they could do were to stay in their chambers and do some sewing. Their greatest
achievement was to find a good husband and to have as many children as possible. That is why
Chinese women are regarded as weak, delicate and dependent. In rural areas of China, the
situation of discrimination against women is very serious. If a family has many daughters but no
son, it would be looked down upon by others, because they think males are important labor forces
and it reflects the prosperity of a family. As a result, men in rural areas have more privileges than
women. They are given more considerations, have more opportunities to go to school and also
have more rights in speaking and decision making. Fortunately, a string of the women’s
movements has brought a new life to women. In Britain, women’s role in society began to change
with the advent of the industrial revolution. Many women were employed as cheap labor, once
industries such as factories and cotton mills were established. Although their wages were low,
their earning power gave them a certain amount of independence. Two world wars gave women
more opportunities. They did work on farms and in factories previously done by men, and did it
well. Previously, a woman’s property passed to her husband on marriage. But the Married
Women’s Property Acts in Britain enabled women to hold and dispose of property as they wished.
And the Representation of the People Act gave British women the equality in voting. (Natalya)
China also did well in this aspect. In the decades after the founding of the People's Republic of
China in 1949, women saw their status greatly promoted as the late Chairman Mao Zedong
proclaimed that "women hold up half the sky." (Chang) Chinese women are inclined to think that
they are capable of achieving whatever men can achieve, especially educated women, who have
come to enjoy more and better career opportunities than their peers in rural areas. In a word, the
women’s liberation movements brought a lot of benefits to women in both countries, and it calls
for universal access to education, employment opportunity for women, and an end to
discrimination against women.
It seems that women are living a happy life now as there are some changes, domestic and
social. However, the actual situation is not so satisfying. Married women often catch dilemma
between work and family. Employment opportunities for women have increased but this has had
little effect on conjugal roles. And although equality in marriage has greatly improved in terms of
joint decision making, the actual day to day running of the household remains largely segregated
into "men's and women's work". Indeed, in 1971, a greater proportion of women more than in
1955 always did the grocery shopping and the evening dishes, and a smaller proportion made
decisions about life insurance, what house or apartment to take, and whether they themselves
should go to work or quit work. (Work & Family P160) The situation of their work was also not
quite optimistic. In the past, women in the civil service had to resign if they got married and it was
unusual for a woman to be in a senior position in government service, law, banking or other
aspects of business. In China, although women are increasingly working fulltime outside the home,
they are also still putting the hours in tackling household chores. A survey carried out by the
provincial Bureau of Statistics shows that women do about two hours-a-day more housework than
their husbands. (Shao) Many professional women find themselves caught between career and
family, tradition and modernity, or in simpler terms, the conflict between their actual ability and
the social structure. A survey that covered over 40 scientific research institutions in Shanghai
found that women scientists and researchers' commitment to their careers is undermined by family
expectations and old-fashioned attitudes towards gender. Among 17,860 people employed by
research institutions in Shanghai, 32.7 per cent are women. However, only 15 per cent of them
have senior titles. And only 42 out of 428 women scientists and researchers surveyed have their
own research projects. The whole society still holds the view that "men are superior to women,"
Xia Guomei says, a researcher with the Shanghai Academy of Social Science. (qtd. In Chang)
Such an attitude is to be found in many areas of society. Therefore, it can be concluded that
women tend to shoulder more domestic and parental responsibility, instead of spending the time to
develop their own careers. Also, it is hard for women to hold a high position in their careers.
Although the division of household tasks has been changing and the husbands are more
willing to help their wives, the role of the modern housewife is shaped by several dilemmas.
Despite the women’s movement has led to some improvement in women’s status, their actual
experience suggests that the promise of equality has not yet fully materialized. It is believed that
women’s status will not be improved until the housewife role is abolished. Women have worked as
housewives for many generations. Modern life has changed this role, but it has not removed all the
burdens and inequities.
Reference
Chang Tianle “Gender stereotypes hamper on female professionals” 5 Apr. 2004
<http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/home/index.htm>
China
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24
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Natalya
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and
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Challenge
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<http://archive.1september.ru/eng/1999/eng39-3.htm>
Patricia Voydanoff “Work & Family: changing roles of men and women” 1984
Shao Xiaoyi “Argument over chores ranges on” China Daily 19 Oct. 2005
<http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/home/index.htm>