A Research Study On Empowered Women Bringing Together Villagers Towards Strengthening Rural Governance

This research is a feminist action study on empowered women, who mobilized villagers to bring forward gender equality provisions within village rules and regulations, so as to promote rural governance. This was achieved through three amendments to existing rules and regulations and their subsequent implementation. This study supports the claim that village rules and regulations may serve as supplements to national law and that, by upholding national law, they play an important role in promoting rule of law within rural governance. Gender discrimination and inequality, which are rooted in Chinese patriarchal culture, are usually reflected within the rules and regulations of rural villages in China. Important components of rural governance and rule of law are to amend provisions in order to promote gender equality, reduce discrimination in village rules and regulations, and implement those measures which promote gender equality. This article describes empowered Zhoushan Women’s Arts and Crafts Association, a grassroots organization in Zhoushan Village, who brought about awareness of gender equality among villagers, took the lead in advancing the first, second and third amendments to village rules and regulations, while also pushing for gender equality measures to be effectively carried out over Zhoushan Village’s ten-year development.There are six parts to this study. The first part (Preamble) introduces the background and significance of the selected topic. The methodology and logical statements are also included in this section. The second part (Chapter Ⅰ) states the reasons for selecting Zhoushan Village as the case study, while emphasizing the empowerment of Zhoushan Women’s Arts and Crafts Association during the early period of its evolution. The third part (Chapter Ⅱ) explains how the empowered Association took the lead in strengthening rural governance by participating in the first two amendment cycles of village rules and regulations and by promoting gender equality in Zhoushan Village. This latter process began with a reformative action/advocacy event on gender equality that sought to challenge perceptions around patriarchal marriage customs. The Association’s actions on this issue, which severely constrained women’s land and property rights, paved the way for the further efforts on broader gender equality initiatives in the village, namely through participating in the first two amendment cycles of village rules and regulations. Through this increased influence, three members of the Association gained seats on the village committee during this reformative period in Zhoushan history. The fourth part (Chapter III) presents how the fully empowered Association after having gained a seat on the village committee, was then able to drive more comprehensive gender equality reforms within a third cycle of amendments to village rules and regulations. This locally-led mobilization helped to align these village policies closer to national governance policies and strengthened rule of law in the village. The fifth part (Chapter IV) elaborates on changes within Zhoushan Village throughout the ten years since its first amendment of village rules and regulations. The changes are discussed through a comparison of:the first, second and third phase of amended village rules and regulations, relationships among rural families, village community ecology, village organization, and future design. The sixth part (Conclusion) provides conclusive statements.This study serves as a strong example of empowered women bringing together villagers to amend and implement gender equality provisions within village rules and regulations, so as to enhance rural governance.