Blog 12 Gender Equality in Asia

Earlier in the semester five women were jailed after National Women's Day for ironically protesting infringements on women's rights. The women at the time of the capture by police were staging a rally to bring attention to sexual harassment in the workplace and equal pay. Amid public and international pressure the women have been released. This is only slightly related to the current chapter we are reading, as it also shows (given the public pressure used in the national movements in India) and the international involvement in the Chinese revolutions that the public opinion as well as the international community's can be effective  in shaping the laws and ideals of a country. While the women were released as a show of good faith, they are not in anyway free. Upon release the women will be under house and tracked for a year, they will be liable to be called into question at anytime for any reason, and are at risk for being arrested again for public disturbances (Theses of course are past crimes). The five fighting feminists may have been released, but they are far from free and such heavy handed government involvement after the fact just continues to bring to light the oppression women have suffered in this area. Having read this article also brings to light how little the textbook focuses on the treatment of women within a historical context and how such experiences have shaped the country currently. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/14/asia/china-feminists-release-jiang/index.html