Modern Chinese Literature and Film: Labor, Production, and Reproduction

LABOR, PRODUCTION, AND REPRODUCTION
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Abstract
Sexism and gender discrimination are traits that have haunted Chinese women for a long time. Exacerbated by Confucian traditional beliefs, it has been quite a struggle for Chinese women to break loose from patriarchal society and demand their space in modern literature. This research paper explores the challenges and achievements of the liberation of Chinese women.
WOMEN IN MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE AND FILM
Women in our society have been facing numerous challenges overtime on their gender orientation. Society is fashioned to be patriarchal, and every newborn from either gender is born with the intrinsic knowledge that men are superior to women. It is a culture that both women and moderate men have been trying to admonish to achieve gender parity. Sexism and gender discrimination have clouded womanhood right from classical times to the modern-day world. In their quest to break free from these oppressive shackles and bondage, women worldwide have tried fighting for their space in the male-dominated society in different avenues: literature, film, activism, and even sports. Sexism is a ghost that has haunted women in the community for ages. It has been the major setback in their drive to achieve self-actualization and make decisions that affect society.
Many scholars and researchers have weighed in on the discourse, trying to give their standpoints on modalities of achieving that ever-elusive equality. Tremendous progress towards attaining that equilibrium has been gained but not to its optimal realization. As opposed to other forms of prejudices characterized by negative stereotypes and antipathy, ambivalent sexism theory (Glick & Fiske, 1996) states that deep ambivalence results from intimate connections between women and men. The approach further highlights that coexistence of power differences and healthy interdependence between the genders arise to hostile (hostile sexism) and benevolent (benevolent sexism) attitudes towards each other (Glick & Fiske, 1996, 2001).[Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (1996). The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory: Differentiating hostile and benevolent sexism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(3), 491-512.] [Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (2001a). Ambivalent Sexism. In Advances in experimental social psychology, 33, 115-188.]
Albeit a universal problem facing women everywhere irrespective of cultural background, from western imperial countries to socialist east countries, Chinese women have faced the worst episodes of sexism and gender discrimination over the years. It is a complex trait that becomes entangled in Confucianism, an inherent Chinese cultural practice that molds an individual right from childhood to adulthood. It has become a challenging topic to tackle until the present day because of its innate approach; even women who should be in the frontline to fight and condemn sexism often find themselves at crossroads going against Confucianism doctrines, which degrade a woman to marriage and childbearing. Feminists, since the emergence of feminist consciousness in the 1970s, aptly describe Confucianism as a misogynous ideology that is incapable of self-redemption regarding ...