Totalist and Pluralist Views of Women's Liberation: Some Reflections on the Chinese and American Settings

When assessing developments in China and particularly in making cross-cultural comparisons concerning women's interests, aspirations, and achievements, Western observers should place pluralist-totalist differences at the center of their analytical paradigms, lest they ask the wrong questions. This paper looks at women's movements in China and the United States with primary reference to the ideological contexts. Some of the questions discussed: Can women achieve full liberation within capitalism? Is the suppression of feminist initiatives in contemporary China merely male chauvinsim in a Mao jacket? To what extent should the state invade households and other private institutions to assure equality for women? Should state initiative be confined to opening new doors, or should the state exhort women to enter them?