Jung Chang's Narrative "Wild Swans: Term Paper

During the Qing Dynasty, women had little influence in society. Jung Chang's grandmother was a concubine to General Xue in 1924. During this era, women were treated as little more than objects, and they were not given any significant rights during this era. Her grandmother was a beautiful young girl who had her feet tied and lived to serve General Xue. Women within this era clearly did not have significant control over their own lives. Their marriages were arranged by their parents and women were oftentimes bartered in exchanges and other forms of trade.

During the Kuomingtang era, women's role in society expanded substantially. Jung explains that her mother worked within the communist underground and married a young communist who eventually became an official in Chengdu. The role of women in this era was expanded to the greater liberties permitted under Kuomingtang governance. They shared in the burdens of their husbands and had greater control over their lives, and their relationships. However, they were still severely limited especially in relation to the workplace.

Finally, during the era of communism, women were elevated to an much more equalitarian position within society. They were able to be employed within government and enjoyed many of the same rights as men. Despite embedded social prejudice against women, the government recognized them as equals and it allowed Jung to able to have the freedom to explore relationships, employment opportunities and ultimately the liberty to control her life.