WUNRN
CHINA – FEMINIST ACTIVISTS CHALLENGES – SUPPORT ABROAD, BUT IN CHINA??
Five female
activists in China were released after 37 days in jail, in a case that caused
international outcry (though barely a ripple in China itself). Yuan Ren speaks
to a new generation of Chinese feminists to find out what - if anything - the
future holds.
Arrested activists Li
Tingting (left) and Wu Rongrong
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Freed activists (l-r) Wei Tingting, Wang Man and Zheng
Churan
By Yuan Ren, Beijing - 15 Apr 2015
Near midnight on Monday night, it was confirmed that all five Chinese feminist activists had
been released, having been taken away by police over 37 days
ago.
Their crime? Planning to distribute stickers on buses to raise awareness of
sexual harassment on public transportation on International Women’s Day (March
8th).
Wei Tingting, Wang Man and Zheng Churan, Wu Rongrong and Li Tingting were
freed by police, according to lawyers. They seem unlikely to face charges.
It’s hard to escape the irony that the five women - all aged under 32 -
were taken away (on charges of “picking quarrels and
provoking trouble”) just before staging their protest on
International Women’s Day. It is an occasion that is not only widely celebrated
in China, but is intended to draw attention to the empowerment of women around
the world.
The arrest had been condemned by organisations worldwide,
including Amnesty International. And their release this week was
called “a victory” by Jing Xiong, the Project Manager of Monitor for Women Network,
an NGO that has worked closely with the women in the past.
So who are they? And what does the future hold for the fledging feminist
movement in China?
The five women are part of small, upcoming group young female activists who
have recently been campaigning for women’s rights. This is something relatively
new in China.
Their stunts have included Occupy Men’s Toilet, staged in 2012
to bring focus to an unfair ratio of women to men’s toilets in China; and
Bloody Brides, in 2013, where women dressed in blood-stained wedding dresses to
raise awareness of domestic violence.
“I’m wary about posting more content [on
women’s rights] online, because people don’t want to hear it. Many women around
me, and especially men, are irritated by the topic,” she tells me.
Photo: Gender
equality is considered by many, an unpopular topic in China
(China is currently drafting its first ever domestic violence law).
Professor Wang Zheng of the University of Michigan, who has promoted gender
studies in the nation, says that while the current leadership in China may not
exactly be “prioritising women’s rights" (as it has since Mao Zedong
abolished foot binding, and famously declared that 'women hold up half the
sky') - "it doesn’t mean they reject it either".
She adds: “Some branches of government work hard on it and there are
officials who put a lot of effort into promoting women’s rights. That is worth
acknowledging.”
The detention of these five women was therefore surprising to many.
Although, it’s fair to say that feminism as a movement has very little
visibility in China.
Women’s rights are far from mainstream. Many people, including educated
young women, do not identify with it. They see it as a Western movement that
has no place in ‘Eastern’ culture.
That disinterest partly explains why women’s activism had failed to garner
any type of response from authorities. Until now.
“We have never met such pressure from the government before”, says Jing, an
activist herself, who has taken part in both the aforementioned campaigns.
“In the past officials might come to us and tell us we can’t do certain
things, but they’ve never detained campaigners in this way.”
This latest incident gained unprecedented attention for Chinese women’s
activism internationally, including from world leaders such as the US Secretary
of State Kerry, and Hilary Clinton, who last week tweeted calling for their
release.
But, while a barrage of support and media attention came from abroad, there
was no such response in China.
Bar the odd article on the women’s arrest (generally positioned as a review
of the Western media’s response), the story has almost had no public presence -
perhaps unsurprising given that media is heavily state-controlled.
Some support did come in the form of domestic university students.
Reportedly, hundreds signed an online petition calling for the women’s release.
Zhang, a 22-year-old Chinese literature student at one of Beijing’s top
universities, posted an article on WeChat (a popular social media app in China)
last Friday about the women’s arrest.
It gained no comments from any of her online circle; and she's very aware
that it’s an unwelcome subject.
“I’m wary about posting more content [on women’s rights] online, because
people don’t want to hear it. Many women around me, and especially men, are
irritated by the topic,” she tells me.
Zhang says she has met and knows all five of the women activists arrested,
including 25-year-old Li Ting Ting, who she says frequents her campus to hold
informal activities to raise awareness among students.
“Women’s rights have a negative reputation in Chinese society; if I talk
about it or promote it too much, other people really will think there’s
something wrong with me or that I’m even sick,” she adds.
As with many other topics viewed as ‘political’ in China, women who show
open support for them can encounter prejudice. As a result, many refrain from participating in
such discussions. Zhang mentions the phrase ‘women’s rights
bitch’ - a derogatory term that’s used to describe women interested in the
subject. This, she says, is how Chinese feminists are often viewed.
Asked whether has participated in the women’s activism, Zhang says she is
wary of the consequences it could have for her job prospects once she graduates.
“Perhaps I care too much about what other people think of me, but I know that
if I join these public activities then it could impact on my career.”
It’s already hard enough as a woman on the job market in today’s China. In
many realms, there’s often a clear preference for men, and one that’s often
stated openly in job descriptions.
And while appreciation for women is openly celebrated across China on
International Women’s Day, the deeper issues of gender equality are often
ignored or avoided.
Despite tremendous achievements in women’s education in the last decades,
there has been notable regression in the image of women’s place in society,
with greater social emphasis on
traditional roles.
Photo: Many think the
place of women in Chinese society has regressed
While only small numbers of women in China currently identify with female
activists, Professor Zheng thinks the increasingly public actions of
campaigners signify a growing unease with today’s expectations of women.
“For the educated and young, discontent is on the rise against gender
discrimination, she says.
But given that the latest attentions on women’s rights in China have come
from external forces – notably abroad – can such a movement really have any
impact on women within Chinese society itself?
The latest news of the five female activists’ release is for many
indicative of a hope that women’s activism in China has a future. For Professor
Wang, it at least signifies that the country’s leadership has made the right
decision in its stance on women’s empowerment.
Others are less optimistic.
Jing fears that the public space for future protests will encounter greater
restrictions, given this crackdown on women campaigners. But she does point to
an increased visibility of very young women speaking about feminism online.
“They even include students who are asking their teachers if more can be
done on the subject in high school,” she says.
“We believe are doing the right thing. And maybe more people will join us
in the future. It's just the start”.