From Young Girl to Feminist

I was only 12 when the UN Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, in 1995. I knew about the conference from news on the television, and from overhearing my parents' conversations. However, the conference was distant and not so important to a girl who lived in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province. The most important thing for me that year was passing the middle school entrance exam.

My mother was a feminist and a women's studies scholar. She attended the conference. The conference was important to her. I knew she was quite busy that year.

I had gained some understanding of gender and women's rights while I was still in primary school. At that time, many people believed that women should resign their jobs and be homemakers. My mother did her best to refute that argument, and to protect women's rights.

Now, I am a college teacher. I often organize students to discuss gender issues. Some women students have told me they have studied hard, because they want to have their own career. They have said they would like to be 'nü hanzi' (women who have manly personalities), because women need to be independent and strong.

When asked about their ideal boyfriend or husband, they said they preferred intelligent men to men whose parents were rich. Many male students told me they liked 'nü hanzi,' as they liked independent women.

The UN Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 gathered together a generation of women who fought for gender equality. The women of the last generation, especially those women who participated in the conference, contributed to the advancement of gender equality. Their efforts will benefit generations to come.

(Women of China)