Women

A man in China is usually subjected to the domination of three systems of authority [political authority, clan authority and religious authority]… As for women, in addition to being dominated by these three systems of authority, they are also dominated by the men (the authority of the husband). These four authorities - political, clan, religious and masculine - are the embodiment of the whole feudal-patriarchal ideology and system, and are the four thick ropes binding the Chinese people, particularly the peasants. How the peasants have overthrown the political authority of the landlords in the countryside has been described above. The political authority of the landlords is the backbone of all the other systems of authority. With that overturned, the clan authority, the religious authority and the authority of the husband all begin to totter… As to the authority of the husband, this has always been weaker among the poor peasants because, out of economic necessity, their womenfolk have to do more manual labour than the women of the richer classes and therefore have more say and greater power of decision in family matters. With the increasing bankruptcy of the rural economy in recent years, the basis for men's domination over women has already been undermined. With the rise of the peasant movement, the women in many places have now begun to organize rural women's associations; the opportunity has come for them to lift up their heads, and the authority of the husband is getting shakier every day. In a word, the whole feudal-patriarchal ideology and system is tottering with the growth of the peasants' power.

Source: "Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan " (March 1927), Selected Works, Vol. I, pp. 44-46.*

中國的男子，普通要受三種有系統的權力（指政權、族權、神權——編者）的支配，……至於女子，除受上述三種權力的支配以外，還受男子的支配（夫權）。這四種權力——政權、族權、神權、夫權，代表了全部封建宗法的思想和制度，是束縛中國人民特別是農民的四條極大的繩索。農民在鄉下怎樣推翻地主的政權，已如前頭所述。地主政權，是一切權力的基幹。地主政權既被打翻，族權、神權、夫權便一概跟著動搖起來。……夫權這種東西，自來在貧農中就比較地弱一點。因為經濟上貧農婦女不能不較富有階級的女子多參加勞動，所以她們取得對於家事的發言權以至決定權的是比較多些。至近年，農村經濟益發破產，男子控制女子的基本條件，業已破壞了。最近農民運動一起，許多地方，婦女跟著組織了鄉村女界聯合會，婦女抬頭的機會已到，夫權便一天一天地動搖起來。總而言之，所有一切封建的宗法的思想和制度，都隨著農民權力的升漲而動搖。

Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan — March 1927, a 32-day field study; an early source of the book's investigation and mass viewpoints.

團結起來，參加生產和政治活動，改善婦女的經濟地位和政治地位。

Unite and take part in production and political activity to improve the economic and political status of women. Inscription for the magazine, Women of New China, printed in its first issue, July 20, 1949. Protect the interests of the youth, women and children - provide assistance to young students who cannot afford to continue their studies, help the youth and women to organize in order to participate on an equal footing in all work useful to the war effort and to social progress, ensure freedom of marriage and equality as between men and women, and give young people and children a useful education…

Source: "On Coalition Government" (April 24, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 288.*

要求保護青年、婦女、兒童的利益，救濟失學青年，並使青年、婦女組織起來，以平等地位參加有益於抗日戰爭和社會進步的各項工作，實現婚姻自由，男女平等，使青年和兒童得到有益的學習；……

On Coalition Government — April 1945 political report to the 7th Congress; many quotations on party and masses come from it.

[In agricultural production] our fundamental task is to adjust the use of labour power in an organized way and to encourage women to do farm work.

Source: "Our Economic Policy" (January 23, 1934), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 142.*

有組織地調劑勞動力和推動婦女參加生產，是我們農業生產方面的最基本的任務。

In order to build a great socialist society it is of the utmost importance to arouse the broad masses of women to join in productive activity. Men and women must receive equal pay for equal work in production. Genuine equality between the sexes can only be realized in the process of the socialist transformation of society as a whole. Introductory note to

Source: "Women Have Gone to the Labour Front" (1955), The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside, Chinese ed., Vol. I.

為了建設偉大的社會主義社會，發動廣大的婦女群衆參加生產活動，具有極大的意義。在生產中，必須實現男女同工同酬。真正的男女平等，只有在整個社會的社會主義改造過程中才能實現。

The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside — A 1955 compilation with editor's notes on co-operation.

With the completion of agricultural cooperation, many co-operatives are finding themselves short of labour. It has become necessary to arouse the great mass of women who did not work in the fields before to take their place on the labour front… China 's women are a vast reserve of labour power. This reserve should be tapped in the struggle to build a great socialist country. Introductory note to

Source: "Solving the Labour Shortage by Arousing the Women to Join in Production" (1955), The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside, Chinese ed., Vol. II.

在合作化以後，許多合作社感到勞動力不足了，有必要發動過去不參加田間勞動的廣大的婦女群衆參加到勞動戰線上去。……中國的婦女是一種偉大的人力資源。必須發掘這種資源，為了建設一個偉大的社會主義國家而奮鬥。

The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside — A 1955 compilation with editor's notes on co-operation.

Enable every woman who can work to take her place on the labour front, under the principle of equal pay for equal work. This should be done as quickly as possible. Introductory note to

Source: "On Widening the Scope of Women's Work in the Agricultural Co-operative Movement" (1955), The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside, Chinese ed., Vol. I.

使全部婦女勞動力，在同工同酬的原則下，一律參加到勞動戰線上去，這個要求，應當在儘可能短的時間內，予以實現。

The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside — A 1955 compilation with editor's notes on co-operation.