Women's Roles in China: Changes Over Time 

Suggested for grades 7 to 12

1.  How has China's population policy affected children and parents?

2.  What challenges do Chinese students need to overcome to earn their education?

3.  How might a young woman's expectations of herself be similar to or different from those of her parents? How might you explain these differences?

4.  What is a modern Chinese woman?

Try using this activity when teaching about...

• comparative demographics
• family values
• population policies
• comparative education in the 21st century
• modern China
• the evolution of gender roles

The children born after the Chinese government instituted the one-child policy (1979) occupy a unique position in Chinese society. They represent a break from the traditions of the past because many are singletons; they have no siblings with whom to share the joys and trials of childhood, nor the burdens of supporting their parents as they enter old age. Since 1979, girls in particular have gained substantial ground in status and schooling. They have also fulfilled the promise of the Communist revolution for equality with access to education and job prospects. The economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s have opened several doors for women to enter competitive institutions of higher education, study abroad, and work in the private marketplace.

Chen An* is a Chinese citizen born and raised in Shenyang, the largest city in Northeast China and the political, economic, and cultural center of Liaoning Province. She completed her compulsory education and undergraduate degree in China. In 2006, she came to the United States to earn her Master's degree and is studying for her doctorate at Boston College. Now twenty-four years old, Chen grew up in a period of unprecedented opportunities for girls, yet she faced challenges in attaining her education. Moreover, she now must meet the demands of living between two countries and confront conflicting expectations for personal fulfillment as a modern Chinese woman.

*An is her family name, and Chen is her given name.

Procedure
Note to Teachers: This pre-learning activity contains a variety of smaller activities that could be implemented together or separately. Feel free to select activities that are appropriate for your classroom setting.

1.  Sort students into two research and presentation groups. One group will research and present their findings about China's population policy. The second group will research and present their findings about China's education system. Each group will conduct their research using the many resources available online (see Further Resources to get students started). Presentations can be audio-visual in the form of a webpage, PowerPoint presentation, poster, and/or prepared speech.

2.  Group One: Population Policy
     a.  Have students research China's one-child-per-couple population policy. Besides the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, why), have students investigate how Chinese parents provide for their singleton child. 
     b.  Have students create bar graphs to illustrate the population growth in China from 1949 to the present. 
     c.  Have students estimate what China's population would be if it had not instituted the one-child-per-couple policy.
     d.  Have students brainstorm a list of consequences of this policy for the singletons, for families, for schools, and for Chinese society in general.
     e.  Have students create a pro/con T chart of China's population policy.
     f.  Have students prepare a short opinion-editorial (op-ed) supporting or opposing the continuation of China's population policy.

3.  Group Two: Education System
     a.  Have students research China's compulsory education system. Besides the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, why), have students investigate how Chinese parents and students prepare for entrance exams.
     b.  Have students create bar graphs to illustrate how many Chinese students attend elementary, middle, high school, and college.
     c.  Have students estimate how many students would attend high school and college if there were no entrance exams (student should consider students who have completed primary school in determining their estimates).
     d.  Have students brainstorm a list of consequences of the reliance on entrance exams for students, for families, for schools, and for Chinese society in general.
     e.  Have students create a pro/con T chart of China's education system.
     f.   Have students prepare a short opinion-editorial (op-ed) supporting or opposing the continuation of China's reliance on entrance exams.

4.  During each presentation, the student audience can be taking notes and asking questions.

5.  After each presentation, conduct a class discussion around these two questions:
     a.  How has China's population policy affected children and parents?
     b.  What challenges do Chinese students need to overcome to earn their education?

Materials

• Chen An's interview (download the transcript and audio from boxes in the left column)

Procedure
1.  Ask students to write and bring into class a brief autobiography answering the following questions:
     a.  What do you want to do, be, or have when you grow up?
     b.  What do your parents want for you when you grow up?
     c.  Do you believe in the American dream? Why or why not? How might you achieve the American dream?

2.  You may ask students to share their writing in small groups or with the whole class, or not at all if they do not feel comfortable.

3.  Listen to Chen's interview (download file). Students can follow along with the paper transcript or you may distribute copies after students have listened to her audio.

4.  Ask students about their immediate reactions:  What do they think Chen is like? What adjectives would they use to describe her? Give examples to support your descriptive choices. Find quotes from the account you felt to be the most powerful or most inspirational. Why did you select them? What images came to your mind when you were listening to this account?

5.  Conduct a class discussion around the following questions:
     a.  How does Chen embody traditional Chinese values for a woman?
     b.  How does Chen embody revolutionary Chinese values for a woman?
     c.  How does Chen embody modern Chinese values for a woman?
     d.  Is there conflict among these values in Chen’s life?

Materials

• Paper and markers

Procedure
The teacher can choose from the following activities or complete both.

Activity A: Two parents and One Child
1.  In small groups or with the whole class, discuss the following questions:
     a.  What are Chen's dreams?
     b.  What are her parents' dreams for her?

2.  Divide students into pairs or threes and have them create either a short cartoon strip (5-6 boxes) or a short conversation (with 5-6 exchanges) between Chen (as a high school student) and her parents. They could be discussing her progress in a particular class or applying to colleges. Have students share.

Activity B: Extended Interviews
1.  Divide students into pairs or threes and have them develop additional interview questions for Chen or for other women who are in a similar situation. For answers, students may ask singleton members of the class, family and friends who were foreign exchange students, and/or seek answers on the Internet.

2.  Have students write up the mock interviews in a question/answer format. Have students share or act out their interview.

Cara Abraham teaches world history, Asian Studies, and American government at Brookfield High School (CT). Her trip to China in 2001 with Yale University's PIER Outreach was the first of four. She has worked in collaboration with Primary Source since 2003 and has been a resource teacher on a China study tour, three summer institutes and several seminar series. With her husband, Michael, she has authored four chapters in The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China (2006) and China in the World (2009), sourcebooks published by Cheng and Tsui in collaboration with Primary Source.