Ethical Reflections On The Contemporary Chinese Urban Relationship Between Mother-in-law And Daughter-in-law

In family relations, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law neither likes the intimate marriage relationship between couples nor the stable blood ties between mother and daughter. It is the most complicate, delicate relationship between family members which also the most difficult to deal with. Therefore, since ancient times, the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been a permanent plaguing topic.Nowadays, the practice of reform and opening up is driving China's transformation from a planned economy to a market economy; everything is in the event of profound changes. With changes in social institutions, family, as the most sensitive and rapid cell in response to the social life changes among all the social organizations, is faced with modern challenges which were especially prominent in the city. Therefore, thinking about the causes of conflicts and exploring ways to resolve the contradiction between them based on the reality is the new problem we are facing now.In contemporary Chinese urban families, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law mainly displays an interactional and bi-directional feature. It is formed on the premise of personal independence, tolerance and equality .The coordination of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law must be people-oriented, with adaptability to the present and future development needs of the society and family based on the direction of social change and move forward with social changes. In other words, the issue of family ethics should be resolved with social development.This paper attempts to make an empirical research on the investigation of the contemporary Chinese urban relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and conduct an analysis of its status quo and development trend. This paper sorts out important issues concerning the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and makes a further discussion on measures improving the relationship. It puts forward five specific measures, which are enhancing the construction of family virtues, coordinating the relation by means of communication, thinking with exchange of position, giving full play to the intermediary role of the husband, expressing material care as well as mental and emotional care for both sides, hoping to provide a practical guide for the ethics adjustment of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and references for the construction of a harmonious family.