Women in China Defy its Government

The huge population in China is slowly getting smaller. There are fewer marriages and babies. It's leader has ruled that China must become a country where women marry and produce more children. Women are responding with defiance, not marrying nor having children.  

Many of us in the West have a stereotypical view of China and other countries ruled by what we call "dictators." Usually, these leaders held an election but there was only one viable candidate. We assume these governments control every aspect of individual lives, where each person works and lives, etc. The truth is more complicated. Even dictators worry about public opinion. They need to please their armies and political circles. 

While some women in China remain in unhappy marriages and soldier on, an increasing number refuse. The prosperity of the last couple of decades in China brought large numbers of women to university. They are now in professional careers. Marriages in China still bring with them the view the male dominates the relationship. This is unacceptable to many modern women. Author Leta Hong Fincher has been following this change for several years. When she started her research she encountered many women who were unhappy in their marriage. They wanted both marriage and career but husbands and employers put them down. Now such women are single.

There have been experiments that tried to increase fertility. These have been unsuccessful in every case. The simple fact is women around the world are realizing they do not need to be treated as second class citizens and can avoid much of this by not marrying or having children. They choose instead to push past the professional and personal obstacles and live independent and comfortable lives. 

It has always been amusing to me to read comments on this blog by religious people whose branch of the faith prohibits women from being clergy. "But we honor and respect women in so many other ways" they often say. What if their rule was "No black people can become clergy in our denomination?" Would they try to hide behind their self righteous, "We honor and respect black people in so many other ways?"

Women around the world, communism or capitalism, do not want to be stuck taking care of a man and raising children. They want more excitement and adventure than that. Who can blame them?