Gender-related Ancient Customs or Traditions
Nowadays, people have been learning the importance of gender sensitivity in
society, unlike in the past years, gender stereotypes are common. There are still practices
that affect certain gender happening in the world.
In China, in theoretical terms, women's contribution, indeed necessity, to society
was recognized in the principle of yin and yang. Even here, though, the male (yang) with
its associated qualities is the predominant and has associations subtly considered the
superior to the female (yin). A male child would grow up to contribute financially to the
family, perform rituals such as those in ancestor worship, and perpetuate the family name.
In contrast, a woman could not earn money and one day would leave the family and join
her husband's. A woman's virtue was a particularly valued attribute in Chinese society.
Women deemed especially virtuous such as chaste widows were sometimes given the
honor of a shrine, monument, or commemorative tablet after death or had their names
published in honorific obituaries.
In Chinese law, a man could divorce his wife, but she had no such right except if
the husband particularly mistreated his wife's family. The accepted grounds for divorce
were failure to bear a son, evidence of being unfaithful, lack of filial piety to the husband's
parents, theft, suffering a virulent or infectious disease, jealousy, and talking too much.
In Saudi Arabia, women there still have to follow rules that really have no sense.
Like the dress codes, their interaction with men, the right to choose, and restrictions in
family life.
In terms of the women's dress code, they are required to dress “modestly”. It
means that they are prohibited to dress up that shows too much skin and also wearing
heavy make-up. The effect of this is that women feel oppressed because they can’t wear
what they want. They have to wear a black headscarf in public. The crown prince did,
however, relaxed the clothing rule in 2018, saying that women were no longer required to
wear an abaya in public.
Next is their interaction with men. Women in Saudi Arabia have limits on the time
spent around men to whom they are not related in any way. Men and women can face
criminal charges however women can face harsher punishments even though they did
the same thing. In December 2019, restaurants were no longer required to have separate
entrances for men and women and they even stopped enforcing gender segregation.
Another is the women’s right to choose. Previously, women were barred from
participating in any election or holding any political office, but in 2011, King Abdullah let
women vote in local elections and be elected to the Consultative Assembly. It feels like
women have no voice for the people because of this restriction before.
Lastly is the women’s restrictions on family life. Women must have the approval of
a male guardian to marry, and divorce might be more difficult for women than for males.
There was no law in effect until 2019 to prevent Saudi women from getting divorced
Nowadays, people have been learning the importance of gender sensitivity in
society, unlike in the past years, gender stereotypes are common. There are still practices
that affect certain gender happening in the world.
In China, in theoretical terms, women's contribution, indeed necessity, to society
was recognized in the principle of yin and yang. Even here, though, the male (yang) with
its associated qualities is the predominant and has associations subtly considered the
superior to the female (yin). A male child would grow up to contribute financially to the
family, perform rituals such as those in ancestor worship, and perpetuate the family name.
In contrast, a woman could not earn money and one day would leave the family and join
her husband's. A woman's virtue was a particularly valued attribute in Chinese society.
Women deemed especially virtuous such as chaste widows were sometimes given the
honor of a shrine, monument, or commemorative tablet after death or had their names
published in honorific obituaries.
In Chinese law, a man could divorce his wife, but she had no such right except if
the husband particularly mistreated his wife's family. The accepted grounds for divorce
were failure to bear a son, evidence of being unfaithful, lack of filial piety to the husband's
parents, theft, suffering a virulent or infectious disease, jealousy, and talking too much.
In Saudi Arabia, women there still have to follow rules that really have no sense.
Like the dress codes, their interaction with men, the right to choose, and restrictions in
family life.
In terms of the women's dress code, they are required to dress “modestly”. It
means that they are prohibited to dress up that shows too much skin and also wearing
heavy make-up. The effect of this is that women feel oppressed because they can’t wear
what they want. They have to wear a black headscarf in public. The crown prince did,
however, relaxed the clothing rule in 2018, saying that women were no longer required to
wear an abaya in public.
Next is their interaction with men. Women in Saudi Arabia have limits on the time
spent around men to whom they are not related in any way. Men and women can face
criminal charges however women can face harsher punishments even though they did
the same thing. In December 2019, restaurants were no longer required to have separate
entrances for men and women and they even stopped enforcing gender segregation.
Another is the women’s right to choose. Previously, women were barred from
participating in any election or holding any political office, but in 2011, King Abdullah let
women vote in local elections and be elected to the Consultative Assembly. It feels like
women have no voice for the people because of this restriction before.
Lastly is the women’s restrictions on family life. Women must have the approval of
a male guardian to marry, and divorce might be more difficult for women than for males.
There was no law in effect until 2019 to prevent Saudi women from getting divorced
