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Women in China - "Foot Binding"
In the past, Chinese society was very male-centered. Chinese women were treated less than men. They were expected to subordinate to men, such as their father, husband, and even son. One of the harsh things they had to go through as women was the "foot binding." In the beginning, this custom was practiced only by women from the upper class. However, poor people started practicing foot binding later as well in hopes of improving their social status. At that time, foot binding was considered as the "beauty" in China. The story behind this practice was for men to be able to control women more easily. Since women's feet were bounded, they were not really able to walk around freely. Instead, they were confined in their room and worked on simple tasks such as knitting. This way, their lives revolved around serving their husbands and staying at home. Another benefit of foot binding for men was that there was less chance for women to gather together and protest to improve their quality of life. Foot binding was such a bizarre and terrible custom which chinese women had to go through for the sake of their social status.
In the past, Chinese society was very male-centered. Chinese women were treated less than men. They were expected to subordinate to men, such as their father, husband, and even son. One of the harsh things they had to go through as women was the "foot binding." In the beginning, this custom was practiced only by women from the upper class. However, poor people started practicing foot binding later as well in hopes of improving their social status. At that time, foot binding was considered as the "beauty" in China. The story behind this practice was for men to be able to control women more easily. Since women's feet were bounded, they were not really able to walk around freely. Instead, they were confined in their room and worked on simple tasks such as knitting. This way, their lives revolved around serving their husbands and staying at home. Another benefit of foot binding for men was that there was less chance for women to gather together and protest to improve their quality of life. Foot binding was such a bizarre and terrible custom which chinese women had to go through for the sake of their social status.