China:

Family Life & Population Changes

SUMMARY
Kate Thompson
Chatswood High School

After discussing the information below complete the following tasks. Use three different colours to highlight
(1) continuities (2) positive impacts of change and (3) negative impacts of change. You may also find it helpful
to underline issues associated with power and authority.

Current impacts of change on family life and

Traditional Shifts Causes, processes and strategies population
society from !! for change
(post Mao 1978)
(Pre 1911) to
Confucianism Communist system established in Nationalism and Confucian values are a
has a 1949 with its own specific values significant part of Chinese identify , but
predisposition for eg: Marxism. democracy yet to take hold.
an elite class of
gentry, scholars Cultural Revolution in 1966 - Privatisation of state-owned enterprises and
and officials. systematic destruction of all foreign companies introduced new methods of
values either traditional or management based on individual performance &
Collectivism!!!Individualism

Filial piety, communist leaving a cultural emphasis on monetary resources.

frugality, vacuum and high trauma.
modesty and Confucianism has made a comeback only to be
self-restraint Mao saw rise of younger and displaced by materialism, money and superficial
were dominant. more innovative leaders success. Revival of will be limited because of its
Confucian values were displaced inherent contradictions with communist
Patriarchal - Male somewhat by Communism and ideology.
heir is necessary Maoism. Since Mao's death and
to carry on the the launching of the Deng Western influences through fashion, movies, TV,
family name, economic reforms. Internet, travels. Book stores first sell books on
provide business and personal development, then on
leadership for the Great Leap Forward launched love and romance. Faure, G. O. (2008)
family, and take 1958 -efforts to increase
care of the family agriculture and industrial Pursuit of the television, refrigerator, washing
ancestors. production lead to the large scale machine (TRW) trilogy.
Women often famine, over 30 million people
suffered under died between within 3 years. Entering into times of a values crisis – where do
the Confucian allegiances lie?
system.
The Chinese way (Old ginger is spicier) !

Westernisation – food, music, Continued cultural diffusion - loss of traditional

Confucius values fashion. cultural knowledge, urban youth who live at a
– etiquette and fast pace don’t know how to prepare traditional
filial piety Regression of Sino-centrism (idea Chinese medicine. Clear generation gap – youth
(ancestors and that China was the cultural centre like TV, elderly like traditional Chinese operas
The western way

the elderly hold of the world)

positions of Changing concepts of beauty - Shanghai, very
prestige and Globalisation -Tourism began in few women with black hair, restaurants people
!!!

respect) 1979, ‘go Dutch’ (pay for themselves), plastic surgeries

Liberation - Equality was a goal for higher noses and larger eyes.
pursued by Mao.
Education and Nuclear families - decrease in extended family
examinations for Open Door Policy and importance living means that the elderly are vulnerable – no
boys only. of trading and diplomatic state pension.
relationships with the USA.
Education more highly valued for all.

The Journal of Society and Culture Association Inc. Culturescope Volume 104 July 2014 7
Large families Westernisation Increased personal responsibility and emphasis
and emphasis on personal achievement. Personal feelings and
on community, One Child Policy - total expressions are more acceptable. Regression
social cohesion fertility rate to decline from of collectivist values, social approval is no
and harmony 5.8 in 1970 to about 1.5 in longer necessary or even sought after. People
2005. want a personal return for their efforts but
Neighbourhood children are expected to serve society’s goals

Collectivism!!!Individualism
committees rather than individual goals.
played a Legislative change in
significant role marriage laws 1950 and OCP presents the 4-2-1 problem (1 child
in dealing with 1981. looking after 4 grandparents), Rise of ‘little
dispute emperor’ syndrome through changed parenting
resolution, Shift in women’s status. practices as a result of having one child has
family planning, lead to over-protection, overindulgence and
sanitation, Filial piety still exists. excessive concern when the child is ill. Not
poverty relief. having siblings can hinder social and emotional
Land reform laws introduced development of the child but 77% are in child
Expressing in 1950 – allocation land care 6 days per week with others, so they do in
personal back to farmers. fact interact with others their own age.
feelings
equated to Rise in divorces, shows that the danwei (family
selfishness unit or working unit) no longer play a role in
personal decision-making or in social
regulation. Divorces rose by 8.5% between
2009 and 2010.
Over 80% of Household registration A floating population (internal worker migrants)
the population system - hukou binds people has formed (approx 10% or 100 million people)
lived in rural to their locality. are disadvantaged and have limited
areas entitlements. Migrate to cities in pursuit of
Mao’s dingti system and better living standards. Most are men under 40
Rural residents contributed to geographic and have the poorly paid, dirty jobs with long
were poorer immobility where adult hours and low status.
than urban children ended up living and
Rural living!!!Urban living

residents working n the same work- In places such as Beijing or Shanghai, a son or
unit complex as their parents daughter who has studied abroad is able to
Coastal fringes earn 20 times more than the father, questioning
and along Several decades of the traditional hierarchy.
rivers had unrestrained growth in China
dense and improvements in heath Periodically, beggars are swept out of Shanghai
populations care and industrial (eg: for World Expo 2010)
technology resulted in a
population explosion in the Urban income is approximately double rural
1960s and 1970s. income. Chinese urban dwellers apparently
consider themselves more educated, informed,
Mass migration - sophisticated and cultured than their rural
By 2025, 350 million rural compatriots.
Chinese residents (more than
the entire US population) will Population transfer policy - This has
leave their farms and move encouraged people to move to Tibet with
to China’s cities (so 2/3 will various incentives. Marginalised ethnic
be urban). In 2000 3.9 million minorities (wages of Tibetan are 87% lower)
people had lived in Shanghai
for more than one day but Urban sprawl leading to environmental
less than 6 months. problems, traffic congestion, unemployment,
crime.

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Peasant Great Leap Forward and Four Mass communication, emphases on

Agricul-ture!!!Industry
farming Modernisations. manufacturing and services.

Semi-feudal Industrialisation Transportation and knowledge dissemination

state are accelerated and re-valued. Pudong –
Open Door Policy – redefining of financial centre.
Advanced occupational systems and
canals allowed organisational structures. Special economic zones set aside for
for irrigation development and investment provide attraction
systems of employment, new types of jobs.

In feudal Legislative changes in 1950s Marriage - Marriage age increased, delayed

society, to marriage laws emphasized child bearing, "marriage squeeze" due to the
marriage and free choice of partners (arranged lack of marriageable women (Hesketh and Xing
family were marriage abolished), monogamy, 2006) has negative impacts on the welfare of
based on equal rights of both sexes, adult males, which has exacerbated the spread
ethical codes. respect for the old, and care of of pornography, trafficking in women, and other
Concubinage / the young. Attempted to end negative behaviors (S. Li et al. 2006). Creation
polygamy, patriarchy and ageism. Free to of single-parent households through divorce
arranged divorce. Emphasised filial piety and separation (number of divorces tripled from
marriages, child (3 generations had to live in 319 000 in 1979 to almost 1.2 million in 1998
betrothal harmony and take care of each
other) Patrilineal structures reinforced through
Marital homes marriage law changes in 2011 re the way
provided by Changes to marriage law in property disputes are handled after a divorce.
men and their 1981 – Still emphasised free Southwest city of Chongqing alone, marriage
Patrilineal family structure ! Womens’ empowerment

families. choice, monogamy and equality, registrations fell by 30% in the weeks after the
MUST practice family planning, changes were made. Women are more
Traditional but allowed for compensation in disadvantaged in property settlement disputes
division of divorce Minimum age for (regression back to traditional structures) as
labour by marriage was raised to 22 for the they won't be entitled to any compensation,
gender made man and 20 for the woman, despite their contributions — financial or
women although in practice even later otherwise — to the marriage.
economically marriage was encouraged.
dependent on Gender imbalance - female infanticide,
men. Foot- Abolition of foot binding, more preference for boys (100 girls: 120 boys since
binding schools, Women’s liberation 2000) child abandonment, underreporting of
indicated only One Child Policy female births, sex-selective abortion, human
menial roles for ‘One is good, 2 is OK and 3 is rights abuses. The population directly affected
women and too many!’ by the "Care for girls" policy is at least 100
were confined million, making it a very important public
to domestic management tool (Jiang et al. 2004)
Care for Girls Campaign
tasks in the
protecting the basic rights and
home. Women - higher rates of education, liberation
interests of survival,
and empowerment not entirely true! Women as
development, protection and
Patrilienage - surplus labour, Modified family roles reducing
participation for women and
the eldest son the division of labour. Slow change in people's
girls, it aims to improve girls
is held in the fertility concept by weakening son-preference.
living environment and survival
highest esteem
and ultimately to promote gender
and is
equality.
responsible for
carrying on the
Open Door policy reinforced the
family name
need for equality (womens
and lineage,
workforce particpation rates
keeping
rose)
property in the
family and
presiding over
ancestral rites.

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Lifetime Modernisation Society of small prosperity and rising wealth of
employment, Lifetime tenure was abolished families. 60,000 Chinese with a personal wealth
egalitarian by Deng Xiaoping in 1980s exceeding 100 million yuan and 200 Chinese with
wages and (due to expense and a personal wealth exceeding 10 billion yuan in

Iron rice bowl ! Private enterprise

welfare benefits inefficiency) and this was also 2010. IMF predicts a doubling of wealth between
– a job for a condition of China joining 2010 and 2016.
every worker the World Trade Organisation
for those in 2001. China has more than 10 million private
usually businesses and account for over 605 of GDP in
employed by Township and village 2011.
the government enterprises in 1980s.
in military Number of Chinese firms in top 500 in the world
positions for Globalisation climbed from just three in 1995 to 54 in 2010.
example. Acknowledgement in 1999
sessions of National Peoples Increased employment opportunities.
Congress of the importance
of the private sector. The 12th Five year plan includes contract
employment and performance based pay – this
Open Door Policy – creates uncertainties for families.
economic development and
privatisation.

Ruling family Introduction of Communism – Re-orientation of bureaucracy – but regulation by

known as a Under Mao, military personnel government underpinned by nationalist ideology.
‘dynasty’ and communists had higher
status. Chinese Communist Party still rules China –
Imperial class controls media, internet access, moves towards
structure (4 Bureaucratisation local governance.
levels)
August 1980 speech, "On the Significance of work unit diminished – By 2000,
Warlords and Dynastiesm !Centralised government

Bureaucratic Reform of the Party and State not much power. In 2003, for example, it became
style of public Leadership System," Deng possible to marry or divorce someone without
control Xiaoping declared that power needing authorization from ones' work unit.
was overcentralized and Newly married couples permitted to live on their
Sun Yat Sen – concentrated in the hands of own.
helped individuals who acted
overthrow the arbitrarily, following Rebellions – Tibetan uprising, Tiananmen Square
Quing dynasty patriarchal methods in student protest, ‘Black jails’ (unofficial) so
in 1912 and carrying out their duties. dissenters don’t head to Beijing and instigate a
helped found large protest.
the Republic of Work units had power
China. He was Class structures still exist – Continuation of
considered a Granny police (older people – emperor status
revolutionary intelligent and energetic) work floating population (migrants, peasant workers),
(even in shifts as ‘public security government officials and capitalists, cadres
mentioned by volunteers, keeping the peace (public official), state professionals.
name in the in the local hutongs, or
preamble to ‘courtyard lanes,’ and Limited democratisation
the reported acts of public
constitution). wrongdoing to the police.
He believed in
and promoted Dissent against the
nationalism. communist regime – people
sent to repatriation camps...

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