《婦女雜誌》를 통해 본 20세기 초 중국여성

Early 20th Century Chinese Women through the Lens of Women’s Magazine - From the Private Sphere to the Public Sphere

This paper attempts to analyze articles featured in 《Women’s Magazine》 through private and public perspectives. Studying writings of feminists emphasizing the role of women in private spheres represented by the ideology of ‘good wife and wise mother’ and others, who stress upon their role in public spheres, can be effective for understanding the main issues for women at the time. Although politics is within the realms of public sphere, this paper will focus on the discussion of women’s occupation which becomes the fundamental basis for independence of women. During the period when the ‘good wife and wise mother’ ideology was mainstream, many papers introduced the physiological difference between men and women. Although Zhang Xichen, an editor during the times of feminism, did not want to comply with the notion of dividing men and women by psychological and physiological difference, he argued that the dark side of feminist movements can be represented by women of third sex, who celebrate single life, abandon motherhood and live only for pleasure and happiness when they can finally become independent. In this perspective, he criticizes women movements that discard women’s natural sexual duty, motherhood, and the sacred act of reproduction to become like men. Articles that underlined physiological features of women, such as those of Zhang Xichen, came to advocate motherhood and, ultimately, the ‘good wife and wise mother’ ideology. The argument that women needs to find jobs that are suitable for women comes from the theory rooted in the old saying, “men take cares of outdoor work while women take cares of the inside work”, which meant women are fit for household work and should not step outside the door because of the duties of childbearing and nursing. This naturally led to the theory that women are fit for household labor. However, when women are seen as a confident human instead of as an image of ‘good wife and wise mother’, the role of woman can expand. What are needed these days are not women depending on their father and husband but independent women of will. The first reason for economic independence is, of course, the need for food as a human being. However, as cultural activity is also expected as humans, psychological or physiological work depending on one’s capability can satisfy one’s cultural needs. Not only is work needed for living, it is also a way of finding meaning in life. Therefore, work is human’s right and duty. If work were to be restricted depending on gender, it would be out of anachronism.