Luo Ping: Exploring Women's Studies 'Till the End of My Life'

I was invited to give a speech at the forum for the Ministry of Education during the Fourth World Conference on Women on September 7, 1995. I gave my thoughts on women's participation in higher education. That night, China Central Television (CCTV) News Broadcast reported my speech titled "Women's Participation in Higher Education", which had caused widespread concern and resonance among Chinese and foreign scholars. My speech was the only one reported on from the non-governmental forums during the conference. Afterward, I became in charge of five large empirical research projects on the "Development of Female College Intellectuals", and extended my research into the field of the protection of rural women's rights.

Looking back at my study history, I was supposed to graduate from the Department of Philosophy at Wuhan University in the summer of 1966. Unfortunately, the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) began, so my graduation was postponed for one year. In the re-education of intellectuals, I went to a high school to be a teacher in southwest China's Yunnan Province. In March 1978, hearing from Guangming Daily that the recruitment of liberal arts graduates had resumed, I decided to apply for the admission. After beating over 100 candidates, I was admitted by Xiangtan University in central China's Hunan Province as a philosophy major, and taught there after graduation.

First time to participate in theoretical seminar on women

In 1985, I came across many articles in Women of China magazine which criticized the phenomenon of discrimination against women. This first aroused my gender consciousness. Initially, I tried to write an article called "Spiritual Civilization and Women's Liberation" and confidently sent it to a magazine. On the way to the post office, I met a woman teacher who told me to participate the "Hunan Women's Theory Seminar" to be held by Hunan Women's Federation on behalf of Xiangtan University. She emphasized that it was the first seminar on "women's studies" in the country. She managed to persuade me to hand the paper to Hunan Women's Federation, and soon I received a reply, saying that the general assembly would arrange for me to make a statement.

At the seminar, the participants expressed their views and made a heated debate. To sum up, some of them supported women to be an understanding wife and loving mother; the rest disapproved. I was arranged to speak the next morning at the closing ceremony. I made an impromptu statement to criticize the traditional views on the understanding of a woman as a wife and loving mother. My statement caught the participants' attention. The speech was published in Women of China magazine, Hunan Women newspaper and other print media. It was also recommended by the Hunan Women's Federation to the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) to compete for an award. This encouraged me, especially as someone who was raised by a family with only a single mother, who was suppressed by patriarchy society. I fell in love with the subject of women's studies theories immediately.

In 1987, I went to work at Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province. Department leaders wanted me to teach philosophy, but I insisted on going to teach Sociology which was still a very immature discipline at that time. Studies on women belong to the field of sociology. I insisted to teach Sociology in order to study women's studies justifiably and saved other people saying this was "fooling around." Many people said that was "worthless”, but I was determined to develop the Sociology Department. I totally did not care that it was just a teaching and research section. During my tenure as head of the Sociology Department, it was granted a master's program. The doctoral program was approved just as I retired, resulting in the fact that I did not teach any doctoral students. I have no regrets over this!

Led a team to study and advocate the gender equality theory

In 1989, I participated in the "Chinese Women's Social Participation and Development Seminar" organized by scholar Li Xiaojiang. The conference gathered a large number of women in women's studies. I wanted to build my own research team and establish a women's studies center in Wuhan University, but my application was rejected. I did not lose heart and strived to create equal conditions. Five years later, the school board finally approved my application. In December 1993, Wuhan Department of Social Sciences organized an inaugural meeting. More than 50 scholars including six male teachers attended the meeting.

Since then, I have led a group of teachers to begin women's activities and studies. We voluntarily gave lectures on women's rights and development to students and female teachers of Wuhan University during every women's festival, and also we did lectures at many other colleges and universities. With the growing influence of the center, I was invited to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Wuhan Women Cadres School and women's federations at all levels in Hubei Province. I spoke to women cadres from workers unions at all levels in Hubei Province, gave several lectures on women, marriage and family. Some people on Wuhan's streets and neighborhoods even knew about me. Due to this, I had a new understanding of grassroots women cadres and my contribution to gender equality, a better marriage and a happy family. I still made a number of lectures for village and town cadres, which made me realize the practical significance of theoretical studies for women.

In September 1994, as part of a non-governmental delegation, I attended the Nordic Women's Forum in Finland. The trip to the Nordic countries, called a "woman's paradise," was mind-blowing. On September 7, 1995, I was invited to give my speech at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and, as I have mentioned, it was reported on CCTV News Broadcast. My speech was the outcome of earlier research on women intellectuals in universities.

Focus on the intellectual women's development and women's rights in rural areas

After the Fourth World Conference on Women, the five empirical study projects I presided over included among them the largest one, the 2011 "Study on the Development of Women Intellectuals of 10 Colleges in Hubei Province". Then, in 2012 I produced the "Study on the Development of Women Intellectuals of 10 Colleges in Henan Province" (in cooperation with the Gender Development Centre of Henan Polytechnic University). My views on the development of women intellectuals, and the "Four Obstacles" and "Suggestions" I proposed, resonated among women academic colleagues, and our study achievements were published in China Women's News and New Women Studies Weekly, and got the concern and attention of relevant leaders of central organizations.

In the spirit of the World Conference on Women, we expanded our studies to the protection of rural women's rights. In 2000, I led my research team to do field interviews in six counties in Hubei Province. We made interviews among 107 divorced and widowed women, and did questionnaires among 310 divorced and widowed women. We held survey meetings for the county's 73 women's federation chairpersons six times.

For those interviews, it was often the case that divorced or widowed women's rights were infringed. Some women victims were beaten for asking for child support. Homeless, divorced women spent their New Year at a ruined temple. Some women married another man to help raise the younger generation but were excluded by clan forces. Some widows were cursed as the "killer" of their husbands. Some extreme cases also came to light. One gambling husband cut his wife on the head. Women were wandering the streets, having gone insane over extramarital affairs. Ninety percent of the 107 divorced or widowed women we interviewed suffered from domestic violence.

When we were confronted with the patriarchal culture violating the rights of divorced or widowed women, we felt an obligation to do something for the vulnerable groups. Rural divorced or widowed women needed help! Thus, we upheld the concept of gender equality and published a book called "Study on the Protection of the Women's Rights in Marriage Change", in order to arouse the whole society's concern and attention. In 2010, one member of our team, Cui Yingling, made a field investigation in Shishuang Long village in Enshi, Hubei Province and published a book called "Flexible Style: Practice Logic of Women's Participation in Social Construction". Together, these two publications are monographs of our research on the most vulnerable groups in rural areas.

With time passing fast, I am over 70 years old. An old Chinese saying indicates that most people rarely live over 70. I am lucky to have a healthy body, friends in academia, and grassroots friends, letting me enjoy every day. I will continue on this path doing women's studies diligently!

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)