Chinese women have had to fight for their rights to equality, and that battle doesn’t seem to be over yet. Historically the role of women in China has been one of obedience and servitude.

They were made to adhere to strict beauty standards that were sometimes outright cruel. One of these infamous practices was foot binding.  During much of Chinese history young women were made to bind their feet very early in their life so as to stop them from growing “too long” or “too wide”.

While many men thought the result to be more attractive, binding caused physical weakness in women. Also, they were forced to support themselves when walking. This made them both physically and symbolically dependent on their husbands.

The Changing Role of Women in China

“Women Hold Up Half the Sky”

The role of women in China started to change during the Cultural Revolution. It was Mao Tze Dong who proclaimed that “women hold up half the sky” and with their potential, they should be encouraged to work. Since they gained the right to education and work, women have managed to narrow the gender inequality gap significantly.

However, the role of women in China is still limited. They still face the challenges of getting equal pay, social pressure to marry and become mothers of exactly two children, balance life while trying to advance professionally.

Those that fall outside of social expectations, deviate from the norm, or distinguish themselves in any significant way are often grouped, categorized, and labeled.  Here are just some of the groups that women are placed into in modern Chinese society.

The Role of Women In Modern China

The Leftover Women (剩女, shèngnǚ)

In most of the countries, the decision when to get married, or even get married are subjective. In Chinese culture, however, women are expected to get married before age 30 or face social stigma. If a woman is still single at the age of 27, society labels them “the leftover woman”.

Women in China pursue higher education and have a strong tendency to advance professionally and achieve their own financial independence. While they seem to have a bright future, the downside of it is the more competent they are, the more difficult it is to find a suitable partner. Their male counterparts often hope to have a stay at home wife who will take care of the family.

As a woman approaches the age of 30, her parents try to take it upon themselves to be her matchmakers. In the People’s Park of Shanghai, there is a special corner known as “The Marriage Market”. Parents go there to meet other parents and hopefully arrange a date for their unmarried children.

Most of the children dislike this unsolicited favor from their parents, but are often too polite to decline any date that results from it.  Furthermore once labeled “leftover”, they usually don’t feel they have too much choice.

The Role of Women In China Explored Through Comics

In the Mort Comic the problem of “Leftover women” is explored through a character named “Chang LeLe”. Ironically this name stands for someone who is always happy. She is a typical representative of a modern young Chinese woman.  Her life has been painted by yet another issue in China – the one-child policy (now two-child policy). These troubled generations grew up without brothers and sisters. As a result, their parents invested their finances and put all their expectations for life on their single child, expecting the child to take care of them when they grew old.

Chang LeLe was forced to study very hard from an early age. She was the best student in her very large city. She graduated from Harvard Business School, a school that was chosen for her. While at Harvard she lived with her aunt and wasn’t allowed to date. When she returned to China, she took a job at her father’s mining company. She did everything that was expected of her, but none of it was her choice. Now the only thing missing in her life according to her parents was a spouse.  When he meets her in the comic her parents have already set her up on a date with a businessman, hoping that she will finally get married and have children.

The Career Woman or “Strong Woman”  (女强人 nǚqiángrén )

The concept of 女强人 (nǚqiángrén) might have originated from the HKTV soap opera “The Family Saga” in 1977, where the woman in the leading role takes over her father’s business and manages to turn it into a successful empire. These type of women disrupt the established gender roles of Chinese society and blur the line between the feminine and the masculine.

Government statistics show that 55% of the people who set up internet companies are women, and one-quarter of all entrepreneurs in China are female. Impressively, Alibaba’s executive team consists of 34% women, and the company itself boasts that 40% of all employees are female. Female leadership in Alibaba is well higher than in the company’s foreign counterparts like Amazon. This kind of Chinese women are the ones said to “hold up half the skies”. Also, they have contributed greatly to closing the gender gap.

In our comic book, the concept of 女强人 is represented through the character “White Snake” 白蛇. Traditionally a romantic character from Chinese folklore, in our story she has set love aside in favor of her successful PR agency in Beijing. She is a highly educated woman who decided to get divorced in order to pursue her career.

 White Snake is a woman who is ambitious and unafraid to compete in a male-dominated world; though she puts her career before family life in order to succeed.

“Manly Women” (女汉子 nǚ hàn zi )

Traditionally, the role of women in China was one of a housewife. Most Chinese women were stay at home mums, gentle, and submissive to their breadwinner husband (or so the story goes). After the one-child policy was introduced, the role of women in China began to change. Being the only child made many parents treat their girls as empresses. Though the burden of being the only child and having to take care of both themselves and parents produced a generation of capable, independent women able to meet this challenge without a man’s help.

The term “Manly Women” that describes these ladies has become a covert way to express feminism. Being an overt feminist and activist in China would make it impossible for women to escape the government’s radar. The punishments are often are harsh, so it is best to use this understated term.

Such is the case of Bella the fox fairy in the Mort Comic. By simply being able to do everything men do (often better too!), and unapologetically following her passions, Bella provides a shining example of this societal trope.

The Chinese Dama (大妈)

When talking about the role of women in China, the picture would be incomplete without mentioning the “Chinese Dama” or “The Big Mom”.

Damas are usually ladies in their fifties. Some are retired, some are close to retirement, but all are infamous for forming large dance groups and dancing in public areas such as parks and squares. Generally, they do so to socialize, keep healthy, or participate out of nostalgia for the “old days” since most of the groups do folk dances.

To the general public, they are known as the “dancing grannies”. Most people consider them troublemakers since their large dance groups frequently block walkways and make a lot of noise. 

Before 2013, little did everyone know that Damas were serious about other things aside from square dancing, namely investing in things like gold or even bitcoin. Perhaps it should have been expected though since the role of women in China is to manage household finances.

In April 2013 when the price of gold started to plummet, Damas united in an effort to save gold by buying almost 300 tons of it in 10 days. Their buying frenzy kept the price of the gold stable. It was a miracle for the economy that even halted Goldman Sachs from short-selling their shares. This event keyed the global economic stage to the sizable financial powers of the Chinese Dama.

Damas represent a great and very lucrative niche in the Chinese market. Therefore many companies come up with products specifically tailored for them and their habitual square dancing, such as Wi-Fi radios and various dance equipment.

Read Next:

Living In China As a Foreigner: The Pros and Cons

10 Types of People Unique to Modern Chinese Culture

Cultural Differences Between China and The West Explained Through Comics

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