Research On Women's Participation In Industrial And Agricultural Production In Heilongjiang Province (1949-1956

In 1949,the establishment of the People’s Republic of China paved the way for women to play a more active role in production.With the guidance from the Communist Party of China and the central government,as well as women’s federations,women in Heilongjiang province were mobilized to participate in agricultural and industrial production to restore national economy and promote production development.This move had a tremendous impact on the traditional gender division of labor and women gradually became an indispensable force in various production fields.The party and the government put forth a series of favorable laws,regulations,and policies to support women’s participation in production.The local women’s federations also created a practical mobilization system to change women’s thoughts fundamentally by carrying out extensive and detailed propaganda campaigns,mobilizing the masses comprehensively,and providing targeted education.Women’s participation in industrial and agricultural production had achieved great results: by1956,more than 90% of women responded to the call of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and participated in the agricultural cooperative movement.The majority of rural women and male laborers participated in collective production.The majority of female workers actively participated in Socialist construction and production competition,made great contributions to the completion and overfulfillment of the first five-year plan.From rural and urban women to women workers,all took the lead in joining the frontier of production,contributing greatly to the development of both agriculture and industry.Through women’s active participation in agricultural and industrial production,they went through the transformation from being "household women" to "social workers",thereby taking on new missions assigned to them by society.This was a historic achievement of women’s liberation.However,it is important to note that women still encountered constraints in balancing household labor and production labor.Neglecting the physiological differences between men and women and advocating for "unity between men and women" alone,also resulted in adverse effects on women’s physical and mental health,and imposed burdens on them.In short,the process of women’s active participation in production is a convoluted process of women seeking their own liberation.Women who have been liberated to a certain extent further engaged themselves in social production to realize a higher degree of liberation.The dynamic between these two cycles were mutually reinforcing,making enormous contributions to the country’s economic and socialist construction.