Role+and+Status+of+Women

**ROLE AND STATUS OF WOMEN** HOW THIS AFFECTED MAO'S MAINTENANCE OF POWER
 * Mao was a defender of women's rights
 * in the case of Jiangxi and Yanan soviets that he led in 1930s and 1940s Mao had insisted that women were the equals of men
 * Party under him formally outlawed the practice of foot binding that had survived in parts of China until the 1940s
 * However, it is said that Mao and the party often failed to respect the principle of female equality
 * Mao either used women or patronize them
 * Mao became a notorious womanizer
 * few important posts in the party organization went to women
 * Foreign visitors to the CCP base at Yanan noted how domestic chores were carried out by female comrades
 * Ding Lin, who had joined CCP described Mao and CCP as hypocrites. Asserted that contrary to their claim to be revolutions, they exploited women and Mao's brand of socialism did not truly include female emancipation.
 * Marriage reform under Mao in 1950s
 * Mao helped women once he was in power
 * First acts of CCP to introduce new marriage law in 1950
 * concubinage was abolished
 * arranged marriages were to be discontinued
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">paying of dowries and bride-prices forbidden
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">women and men who had been previously forced to marry were entitled to divorce
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">all marriages had to be officially recorded
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Collectivization on status of women
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">further laws passed in 1950s granted women right to own and sell land property
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Women were actually granted land in own name
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">life in communes brought women to an advantage
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Gave Mao support of women since women were able to provide for themselves through the collectivization program
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">However, equality among women and men did not change over night and there was a gained prejudice against women and there was a state of disorder as women were able to divorce and marry as many times as they liked
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">women still being denied a fuller political role