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The Famous Son Preference Customs
Definition:
A perfect reflection of the social concept of gender inequality. In ancient China, women was characterized as a subsidiary of males and limited their opportunities to develop their talents.
Performance:
Regarless of the affordability, some familities keep having babies until they had a boy and some people do take B ultrasound wave to select gender. Besides, some female babies were drowned to death, some are thrown to hospital, and some are sold. That's definitely true, and still happen in some area of China. When I was a 10 years old boy, I saw a baby's body in a pond.
Those families do think girls are going to marry and continue other people's blood, and it doesn't necessary to study too much. Regardless of the girls' abilities and willingness, they require the girl go out to earn money for supporting her brothers' study. Boys have the priority to choose the good good and toys. In some extreme cases, boy is treated as a little emperor and his daughter is treated as a servant who can be scolded and beat casually.
On the other hand. Boys are expected to fulfil their parents expectations perfectly. Some families do have harsh discipline for their boys than girls.
Cause:
1.society: men have advantages in physical strength and logical judgement than women. In the eraly time of human evolution, stronger physical strength and logical judgement means you more food sources and more chances of survical among the tribal wars.
2.In ancient China, Agricultural economy is the mainstream, which means if you have more labors and lands you can live better. So boys have better returen, especially in resource-limited circumstances. Besides, More boys means your twilight years life is secured for girls have to support her parents in law's sunset life.
3.Dominating Traditional Chinese Confuciansim Theory
Marriaged but have no kid that would be regarded as unfilial to ancestors for cannot continue their blood. In ancient China, Chinese has always believed the Theism: People don't really disappeared after death, but become a ghost or god according to their behaviors during his/her lifetime. Besides, they also need to eat, and the stape food is the candles, paper money and incense burned by their male descendants. They will starve if their descendants didn't do those things. In addition, in a feudal society, only man can set up ancestral hall and enshrine and worship their ancestors in it. In whole life of a woman, she only has one chance to pray her ancestors in ancestral hall when she's getting married and ready to leave.
Contemporary China Son Preference Situation
1. According to China families tradition, boy's parents have to prepare a wedding room which could be worth 0.5-1 million RMB and give 10-100 thousands RMB to girl's parents as gift. On the othe hand, girl's parents will give household appliances and money for decorating house to them. So you can see more children means you will have lower living standard and heavier burden. So many familes take the truth and have one girl or boy, and son preference custom looks not so serious as before.
2. Family Planning Policy allows rural families to have the second kid if their first child is a girl. I don't know it is a compromise to the Son Preference Customs in rural areas or just to make sure the fields have people to plow.
3. It is forbidden to identify gender by B-ultrasonic wave, but it still exists.
Why Lead to China
The Famous Son Preference Customs
Definition:
A perfect reflection of the social concept of gender inequality. In ancient China, women was characterized as a subsidiary of males and limited their opportunities to develop their talents.
Performance:
Regarless of the affordability, some familities keep having babies until they had a boy and some people do take B ultrasound wave to select gender. Besides, some female babies were drowned to death, some are thrown to hospital, and some are sold. That's definitely true, and still happen in some area of China. When I was a 10 years old boy, I saw a baby's body in a pond.
Those families do think girls are going to marry and continue other people's blood, and it doesn't necessary to study too much. Regardless of the girls' abilities and willingness, they require the girl go out to earn money for supporting her brothers' study. Boys have the priority to choose the good good and toys. In some extreme cases, boy is treated as a little emperor and his daughter is treated as a servant who can be scolded and beat casually.
On the other hand. Boys are expected to fulfil their parents expectations perfectly. Some families do have harsh discipline for their boys than girls.Cause:
1.society: men have advantages in physical strength and logical judgement than women. In the eraly time of human evolution, stronger physical strength and logical judgement means you more food sources and more chances of survical among the tribal wars.
2.In ancient China, Agricultural economy is the mainstream, which means if you have more labors and lands you can live better. So boys have better returen, especially in resource-limited circumstances. Besides, More boys means your twilight years life is secured for girls have to support her parents in law's sunset life.
3.Dominating Traditional Chinese Confuciansim Theory
Marriaged but have no kid that would be regarded as unfilial to ancestors for cannot continue their blood. In ancient China, Chinese has always believed the Theism: People don't really disappeared after death, but become a ghost or god according to their behaviors during his/her lifetime. Besides, they also need to eat, and the stape food is the candles, paper money and incense burned by their male descendants. They will starve if their descendants didn't do those things. In addition, in a feudal society, only man can set up ancestral hall and enshrine and worship their ancestors in it. In whole life of a woman, she only has one chance to pray her ancestors in ancestral hall when she's getting married and ready to leave.Contemporary China Son Preference Situation
1. According to China families tradition, boy's parents have to prepare a wedding room which could be worth 0.5-1 million RMB and give 10-100 thousands RMB to girl's parents as gift. On the othe hand, girl's parents will give household appliances and money for decorating house to them. So you can see more children means you will have lower living standard and heavier burden. So many familes take the truth and have one girl or boy, and son preference custom looks not so serious as before.
2. Family Planning Policy allows rural families to have the second kid if their first child is a girl. I don't know it is a compromise to the Son Preference Customs in rural areas or just to make sure the fields have people to plow.
3. It is forbidden to identify gender by B-ultrasonic wave, but it still exists.
