The effects of Confucianism and Communism on the role choices of Chinese peasant women in Shantung Province, China, 1930s--1980s

Women throughout the world, particularly the women of China, have lacked a voice in being seen as contributors to their society. Ethnographic research from uncensored essays captured the voices of three generations of peasant women as written by college-age females about themselves, their mothers and maternal grandmothers from the Shantung Province, China. Analysis was done in the gendered areas of marriage, education, and work patterns under Confucianism (old ways) and communism (new ways) with respect to the roles or lack of roles for these women.;Gerson's (1985) perspective that women's role choices are determined by the social structures (Confucianism and communism) helps to recognize marriage, education and work for females as concerns within a traditional patriarchal society. Misra's (1999) world system theory places women at the center of the paradigm that clarifies how historical events such as the Great Leap Forward (1958--60) and the Cultural Revolution (1966--68), impacted the role patterns and family connections of the women studied.;Grounded theory allowed for the reconstruction of women's roles, resulting in a new term, "role fluidity," and new understandings of women's renegotiated roles. The paradigm of role was also enhanced by coining this new term. New roles led to a new term for marriage, "combination old/new way": mothers who became teachers, and fathers who redefined their roles as "house-dads" within the private sphere, a result of cultural changes that have impacted the three generations. The research suggests the relevance and value of studying women within their private and public spheres. It also shows how complex role changes are, and how they are being redefined within the culture.