The Historical Process Of The Chinese Women's Political Participation And Contemporary Transition

Women's participation in administration means that women can take part in the management and social affairs. It reflects two respects: Firstly, it refers to women's participation in political life in the country, namely, having the right to vote and to stand for election. This is the basic respect. Secondly, it refers to women's holding positions of all levels, directly taking part in management and making decisions. This is the best form for women to participate in politics. Women's participation in administration is the key factor in women's liberation, for which women have fought for so long. The knowledge economy of 21 st century provides historical transition for it.This thesis consists of four parts.Firstly, because of the natural economy, feudal-patriarchal system, old ethics and moral concepts, women were ruled and choked by the authority of the regime, the religion, the clan and the husband in the feudal society in the last few thousand years, which made the working women have no say at all, not to speak of participating in administration.Secondly, the historical process for modern China to become half-feudal and half-colonial society was also a historical process for women to be awakened gradually and plunged themselves into the struggle against imperialism and feudalism. But the peasantry, the national bourgeoisie and the petty city bourgeoisie didn't(or could not) find the right way to liberate the women, owing to the limitation of their understanding and class status. So they could not solve the problem of women's participation in politics. Only under the leadership of Chinese Communist Party can the Chinese women emancipate from the oppression of imperialism, the ruling class and the unequality between men and women and make women's emancipation a historical turning point.Thirdly, political and social conditions for women to participate in the administration of the conditions were improved greatly since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after the establishment of socialist system. But it could not be the product of the women's self-consciousness because at that time women's participation in politics depended mainly on the administrative action on the part of the government in the highly centralized planned economic system. After the third session of the Eleventh Congress of the CCP in 1978,the Party's basic policy in the socialist initial stage has provided new historical turning point for women's participation in politics. The women began to awake to their self-consciousness in the competitive system of the market economy and democratic politics. They are more active in the participation of administration than before and their ability to participate in politics has been improved. On the other hand, because of the influence of the traditional factors and their present qualities, there remains a lot to the improved on this respect.Fourthly, under the leadership of the Communist Party, knowledge economy has made women's participation in politics a historical turning point from different angles, such as from the angles of reducing the gender distinction in working, creating much more working opportunities, carrying out life-long educational system, renewing traditional old concepts, caring for its own economic benefit and having a set of democratic knowledgeable management system. All of these make women's participation in administration a new historical transition. The knowledge economy is the only access to liberate the great masses of women completely.