Communist China and Women

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) policy toward women in the 1920s and 1930s and how it evolved over time. The paper specifically discusses the Provisional Constitution of 1931, which was the first document to outline the CCP policy towards women, the Marriage Regulations of 1931, the Marriage Law of April 8th 1934, and CCP policy towards women relating to economic production, as well as why and how these policies were implemented. The paper also looks at how, in spite of the CCP's commitment to pushing forward a radical program for women which would ensure their equality, attention to marriage and land reform regulations was neglected or subordinated to the main task of the military and revolutionary struggle of the Soviets.

From the Paper:

"The Marriage Law of April 8th 1934 abolished the regulations of 1931 and differed quite strikingly. For example, instead of the man having to support the woman in cases of divorce like in the Regulations, the marriage law stated that only if a woman lacked the capacity to work or did not have a definite occupation was the man to support her and if the man lacked that capacity then the provision would not occur. Notions surrounding motherhood and parenting seemed to have changed during the three years between these pieces of legislation, in that the woman now, unless she stipulated otherwise was obliged to raise the children. This probably arose out of the need of the CCP who needed men to join the Red Army and so could not have men in the soviets tied down with the responsibility of bringing up children. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chinese Soviet Marriage Law, cited in M.J. Meijer Marriage Law and Policy in the Chinese People's Republic (Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press, 1971)
• Patricia Stranahan Jackal, 'Changes in Policy for Yenan Women, 1935-1947', in Modern China, Vol. 7. No 1. (Jan, 1981)
• http://www.marxists.org/subject/china/peking-review/1974/PR1974-10c.htm
• M.J. Meijer, Marriage Law and Policy in the Chinese People's Republic ( Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press, 1971)
• Judith Stacey, Patriarchy and Socialist Revolution in China (Berkley, Los Angeles, Berkley University of California Press, 1983)

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