The phrase “gender stratification” highlights a form of inequality permeating every level of social structure: inequality between men and women. Relationships of power and privilege are formed through a complex web of gender- related factors, from attitudes towards women’s participation in the labor force and men’s place in the family to cultural ideologies around kinship, musical competence and economic roles. In bayin seated singing, which is popular among the Buyi ethnic group in the Nanpan River valley in Southwest China, gender is a significant factor in the division of labor in musical activities. This gendered division of musical labor emerges from various music-related notions and behavior expectations that in turn stem from customs and ideas around gender relations in wider Buyi society. Analyzing the characteristics of power relations between men and women in bayin seated singing helps to bring to the surface relationships between traditional music practices and gender stratification.
Introduction
Gender Relations in Buyi Society
Brief Introduction to Buyi Bayin
Musical Behavior and Gender Power Relations in Ritual Music
Relationships between Ritual Space and Women’s Status
Gender Role Structures and Power Distribution in Ritual Performance
Classifying Principal Instruments and Gender Role Structure among Performers
“Gonghu” (公胡) and “Muhu” (母胡) Classifications and Cultural Metaphors
The Absence of Female Huqin Artists
Conclusion
Glossary
References