#2

The standing of women in society has changed drastically over the ages. Their progress is especially astonishing in the past century; women have been empowered in many ways, possessing educational opportunities deemed impossible in the past. Women have now become major players in the various industries, from the male-dominated financial world to the elegant arts. Gone are the days where women were expected to stay home and look after the children; the women of today have become ultra-competitive individuals enjoying the same privileges as their male counterparts, and are no longer deemed as subservient beings who obey their husband’s every whim and fancy.

The change in the role of women in politics has been nothing short of astounding. Once politically dormant members of society, women now possess important political positions. For example, Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, was a presidential candidate in the 2008 elections and now holds the position of Secretary of State in the U.S Cabinet. In the same election, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin was also a vice-president candidate in Mr John McCain’s presidential campaign. This is a vast improvement from a few decades ago in the 1960s, where less than 10% of politicians were female. Across the globe in China, 32% of the 73.36 million members of the Chinese Communist Party are female, and the number of female members is still constantly growing. Again, this is a stark contrast from the patriarchal history of ancient China, where most of the Emperors were men and women were at the lowest level of the social caste; women were considered to be the property of their parents before marriage, property of their husbands after marriage and then the property of their sons and mothers-in-law after their spouse has passed on. This constant degradation and objectification of women were one of the major factors which led to the countless feminist movements over the ages. With the many feminist movements in the 20th century, women began to fight for their rights and this inevitably gave women the brilliant idea of foraging into the realms of politics; if several females could be elected into the legislation, wouldn’t the discriminatory policies towards women be changed? Another reason for the increased participation in politics by women is because they want to prove to the men that women can be smart, savvy and capable too. After centuries of physical and physiological humiliation by the men, it is time for the women to show the males that they were every bit as, if not more, capable than men.

Women have also made fearsome progress on a economic level. Women were once thought to be too incompetent to work; women now almost have a level playing field with men. Take for example our own Singapore’s Olivia Lum, CEO of Hyflux Corporation. Or perhaps Elim Chew, founder of the popular streetwear accessory chain 77th street which boasts 13 stores island-wide; it has since become a global business, with the 77 Group Corporation even setting up a underground shopping complex called 77th Street Plaza in the prestigious Xidan Cultural Central in Beijing. On the international level, Indra Nooyi, an Indian female, is currently the CEO of Pepsi Co. In fact, during her reign as CFO, the company’s revenue has increased 72% while net profits have more than doubled. This shows that the economy does not rest solely on the shoulders of men now; women are now surpassing their counterparts in various male-dominated industries. As canvassed previously, the main reason for women’s newfound corporate importance is education.

Through education have they realized that they have the capability to do what the men do; through education have they gained the essential knowledge and skills for success in the corporate environment. Consequently, the role of women economically will continue to grow as they become influential people in the various industries.

Socially, women seem to have progressed by leaps and bounds. Women in urban areas have experienced drastic, positive changes in their social status. Gone are the days when they had to make sandwiches for their husbands on command like robots and were subjected to many forms of abuse. In China, for example, the cruel practice of foot-binding so prevalent in feudal China has been banned by law. Women, in their clothing and fashion, are no longer restricted by severe societal laws as they strut around in provocative outfits. Forced marriages are officially illegal and Chinese women now pick their husbands instead. As women become financially independent, they are no longer dependent on their spouses for a living and have gradually gained an equal say in the household. Women are no longer considered as objects for the mens’ pleasure; women sometimes even dominate men verbally and physically.

The points stated above are not to say that gender equality has been achieved - it would be foolish and naive to think so. In rural areas, especially in China, gender stereotypes are still prevalent. Boys are still preferred to girls, as they are able to help out in labour and carry on the family name. The killing of baby girls in rural villages is as common a sight as it was centuries ago. In the urban society, men are considered ‘wussies’ if they become ‘dominated’ by their wives. Let us ask ourselves this- if gender equality has been achieved, why are men regarded as cowards if they do not dare to oppose their wives? If women are of equal status as men, why are women not considered cowards if they are meek and obedient towards their husbands? From this we see a stark revelation which shatters the facade of gender equality- men are still considered to be superior over women, and men are ‘supposed’ to be the one in charge in a relationship.

I would also like to propose the idea that gender equality is taking a step backwards in the 21st century as the concept of gender equality has been warped to a large extent. Now, in modern society, women have to gain respect by doing the same things as MEN. Those who continue to engage in the basic roles of women i.e. housekeeping, raising the children etc. are regarded as slackers. This then leads me to ask - if women have to do what MEN do in order to gain social status and respect, haven't they unconsciously lost their feminine identities?

Let me raise an analogy to racial equality. Racial equality does not mean that an Indian should stop making his roti-prata and chapatis and start making Chinese cuisine to gain respect from the Chinese society; it means that the Indians, or whatever race, should be respected for the culture and traits unique to them, and that they should have the same opportunities as people of other races. If they stop making chapatis, an important part of the Indian identity would be lost.

Similarly, gender equality entails that women should have treated the same way as men, and most importantly, are respected for whatever they do, be it being a housewife or a corporate employee. When they start to emulate men, they lose their feminine identities. The whole point of the earlier feminist movements were to ensure that women had the same choices and opportunities as men; it did not mean however that women HAD TO engage in 'manly activities' to be respected. Therefore, I feel that in this modern society where women need to do what the men do for the sole sake of proving to the men that they can do what the men do to gain respect, women of both countries have not progressed in terms of gender equality, but have unknowingly taken a step backwards as they try to outdo the men.

To conclude, this week's tutorial has really opened my eyes to the issue of feminism. Like many of my friends, I had the notion that feminism was a thing of the past and not really a issue in modern society. After all, living in politically stagnant Singapore, we have never encountered any radical feminists putting up demonstrations for the betterment of female rights. Through this tutorial, I have learnt the changing roles of women from past to present, and it is a very interesting topic indeed.

#1

Reflect on youth apathy towards politics. Draw on examples from China, the US and Singapore in your reflections.

Politics. Mention the very word, and vivid images surface in our minds; boring old men constantly squabbling over the same old issues, supplemented by a dazzling assortment of blatant lies and underhanded tactics. To some, politics is an art; to others, politics is an ugly exhibition of the struggle for power. But to many youth, politics is virtually non-existent. The degrees of political apathy among youth vary throughout the world, with differences in culture, upbringing and political system.

The fundamental, internal reason for the disinterest in politics prevalent among youth is, in my opinion, the perceptions of politics and politicians to these youth. I would herein like to introduce 2 similar, yet contrasting concepts; one, that youth shun politics for fear of association with the negative connotations of politics and two, that youth shun politics because they are sick and tired of the political system itself. It is obvious that the former reason is an extremely superficial one that should be condemned - youth of today do not want to be associated with the mundane image of politicians. The general image of politics as a whole is extremely unappealing to the youth population. Old, balding men in uncomfortable suits quarreling with other old, balding men in even more uncomfortable suits hardly fits the image of ‘cool’, which is such an important element in the youth’s self-image today. Modern, ultra-hip youth want to be attractive. They want their friends to view them as cool and trendy people who are living their lives to the fullest, and getting involved in politics definitely would not elevate their social status amongst their peers.

In this respect,I feel that it is disheartening that youth have such a disdainful neglect of politics just because of its mundane image, that the youth of today forsake vital matters of their country for their status among their circle of friends. However, if youth shun politics due to the partisan and treacherous nature of the political system, it is a different case altogether. The very fact that they are able to realize the flaws in the workings of the political system is a testament to their political knowledge. Ironically, they stay away from politics not because of various superficial reasons, but because they actually have a deep understanding of the politics and are able to see the petty and unethical tactics politicians employ; they are therefore turned away by the fundamental flaws in the political system. The distinction between the two types of youth are clear; one is concerned with the negative effect of association with politics would have on their social status and consequently steer clear of politics, while the other is politically savvy but choose to stay away due to their disdain for the deceitful nature of the political system.

However, what I feel is the most disturbing trend among politically apathetic youth, especially in China, is their tendency to use various excuses to cover up their self-centeredness which ultimately culminates in a lack of involvement in politics. In the article “China’s ME Generation” by Simon Elegant, many attributed their political inactiveness to a plethora of reasons such as government restrictions and fear of persecution. For instance, some proclaim that they are afraid of government persecution should they get involved in politics, which are backed by many horror stories their parents told them about political events such as the Great Leap Forward and the Tiananmen Incident. Others say that their involvement in politics might destabilize China and hinder her economic growth. However, if we compare the above to the public demonstration by hundreds of young dog owners in Beijing, a stark contrast is formed. These youth care more about the size of the dogs they can own than issues of free speech and human rights. That public demonstration also highlighted an issue that is somewhat contradictory to the perception of Chinese citizens as slaves of the Communist Party - that the youth have the courage to go against authority and the ability to organize mass demonstrations to protest against government ruling, but only, and only, when their immediate interests are under threat.

They claim that they are repressed by the government, they claim that political freedom would bring about instability and hinder China’s economy,yet they took to the streets to demand for allowance for taller pets. Through this event, we can see that majority of the reasons Chinese youth attributed to their lack of political involvement becomes invalid and come across as mere excuses for their self-centeredness; if they can risk government persecution for matters as trivial as pet size, why can’t they risk government persecution for issues much more important to their country? Furthermore, weren’t thousands of students involved in the Tiananmen Incident to protest against the Gang of Four’s limit on the period of public mourning on Premier Zhou Enlai’s death? These youth faced much bigger risk than present day youth, and yet they were proactive in making their opinions heard. Herein lies the difference between the ME generation and the youth of the past; the ME generation is driven by self-interest, while the Chinese youth of the past are driven by progress for their country. Still, I feel that we cannot blame the Chinese youth entirely, since they are in essence products of governmental policies. Policies such as the one-child policy have spawned a new breed of spoiled youth, who are only interested in things that bring them personal gain.

Therefore, I feel that China’s ME generation’s self-centeredness, coupled with the bad image of politicians are 2 of the most important reasons for political apathy amongst Chinese youth today.

The Chinese youth’s attitude towards politics can also be compared with that of the Singaporean youth. Both countries share remarkable similarities, being governed by a single party for long periods of time. The youth in both countries possess the same mentality as well; as long as the government provides us with good living conditions and material comforts, we do not need to bother about politics. Leave that to the lawmakers.

However, I feel that the youth in the U.S. are quite politically active. Yes, the readings said that many of them failed their civics education tests. However, this does not mean necessarily mean that they are politically apathetic. Claiming that U.S youth are politically inactive on the sole basis of their tests scores is analogous to claiming that one does not like music simply because he/she failed a music theory test. Having a poor understanding on the basic values of democracy does not directly correlate to lack of political interest and involvement. For instance, many youth vote during the presidential elections. More recently, American youths turned out in droves to support Barack Obama’s campaign. Is that not testament enough to their involvement in politics? With the protection bestowed upon them by the First Amendment, American youths are able to state their dissatisfactions without worry, leading to a much more politically active environment than China overall. Still, the American youth have started to take their two-century-old democracy for granted, and this is a alarming trend that has to be stopped.

To conclude this somewhat lengthy journal, this week’s tutorial has heightened my understanding on the causes of political apathy amongst youth all over the world. Upon deeper reflection, I realized that in this pragmatic, modern society, politics are often never cared about unless they cross with the youth’s personal interests. I learnt that the degree of political apathy in different countries with different government ideologies are different, but most of the reasons stem from complacency as youth become satisfied with the material comforts brought by current political models and do not seek progress. Of course, political activeness in the U.S is much higher than that of China, due to their solid democratic foundations which ensure protection of freedom of speech. Having analyzed and studied the readings, I have developed a significantly improved understanding of the political apathy amongst youth today, and this would definitely be helpful in future bi-cultural studies.