Role of Women in India and China

Role of Women in India and China

Gender discrimination continues to be an enormous problem within Indian and Chinese society. Together, China and India represent one third of the world’s women population. Both are enormous countries that are undergoing rapid economic, political and cultural change. In both societies women have to struggle to empower themselves, although it may be said that the process is probably harder in India. In China the influence of a Marxist ideology partly helped women to enter the public domain in a big way. In India, traditional patriarchal values are still strong and most people still feel that the women’s role is in the kitchen and to raise children. The struggle for women to liberate themselves in India often leads to violence and thousands of women have been killed over the years. In addition the bias against the female sex leads to practices like female infanticide.

Yet, in both China and India women’s groups and movements are at work at different levels enabling and empowering women. The experience gained so far in slums, villages and middle class sectors is enormous.

There is an increasing amount of career women in the China, in which men are slowly coming to accept terms such as "househusband." Is the distinctive contrast between the gender differences gradually fading away?