Women's Ideal Role in Society

A lot of men from the rural parts of China still hold this perspective. Although China currently has a rapid economic growth and better quality of public education than before, gender inequality is still an issue that need to be considered. The relations of power and dominance are closely related to the masculinity due to the history of the domination of women in the patriarchal society. Femininity has not been a dominant player in the gender relationship. In most underdeveloped rural areas, women are still often viewed as homemakers and their ideal role is to do all the unpaid work like child care and housework. They obey the orders from their husbands. Their parents constantly perpetuate such view because they believe that it is the normative expectation of women. Men also tend to place themselves vis-a-vis the privileged gender position that the traditional culture places them in. However, the stereotypical gender roles are not common in the urban parts of China, especially in the tier-one cities. The level of education and economic condition might be influential factors for the difference between the rural and urban areas.

I agree that the level of education and economic condition are influential factors for gender inequality. However, the problem of male dominance is so deeply rooted in some people's mind that there is no possible way for them to change. For example, I know some people who would choose to buy their daughters' clothes and make-ups using their family saving's money instead of providing education or professional skills, because they think that the only thing that their daughters need to do to is to live good lives and marry a rich husband. To me, this is so ridiculous, because I was taught that men and women should always be equal. However, what if the inequality is in favour of women because only women can choose to play the role of "housewives" and men cannot.