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http:www.bellaonline.comarticlesart28659.asp, says Normally, it would be the aunt or a matchmaker, normally an elderly woman of the village, who would
arrange the favorable union of two families. Unlike men who always worked outside, Chinese women only controlled
the functions of the house. They were only responsible their family such as taking care of their children and keeping house desk. Wang states, women were obliged
to obey their husbands and stay within the realm of the home http:etd.lsu.edudocsavailableetd-07142005-
093123unrestrictedWang_thesis.pdf. After marriage, an ancient Chinese woman would serve her husband like a
slave and could not raise her voice. The wife’s responsibilities were to bear male children and to aid in the work. Failure of a wife to bear male children could lead
to repudiation and the obligation of a husband, among the gentry at least, to take a concubine or additional wives Eshleman, 1985:199. Clearly, in ancient China
men were allowed to have more than one wife. However, women could have only a husband, and even if her husband died she was not allowed to remarry. Death
penalty was given, if she remarried.
2.2 Gender
Gender comprises of a range of differences between men and women, extending from the biological to the social. The term gender is used to refer to
proposed social and cultural constructions of masculinities and femininities.
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Popenoe 1983:170 says that gender is the social and psychological traits associated with masculinity and feminity.
It is stated http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiGender, gender is the result of socially constructed ideas about how the behavior, actions, and roles a particular
sex performs. In this context, gender explicitly excludes reference to biological differences, to focus on cultural differences.
Hurst http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiGender states that some people think sex will automatically determine one’s gender demeanor and role social as well
as one’s sexual orientation sexual attractions and behavior. We have cultural origins and habits for dealing with gender. From that
origins and habits, we can identify which one is feminine or masculine. We do this through everything from clothing and hairstyle to relationship and
employment choices. Schwalbe http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiGender states, these distinctions
are important, because we want to identify and categorize people as soon as we see them. In other words, we will recognize one’s gender by seeing their clothes.
The distinction of gender, actually, does not cause problems as long as not to make unfairness. In other words, it is still common as long as there is equality
between men and women. In fact, gender is a major source of social inequality, not only are men and women assigned different roles, but these roles are also
judged and rewarded unequally, i.e., men and women have unequal role to social rewards.
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A society reveals its concepts of gender through the social roles to each sex. A social role is a set of expectations and behaviors associated with a specific
position in a social system. While a gender role is a social role associated with being male or female.
In most societies’ norms can be found social stratification in terms of gender. These reflect a basic belief in male dominance where the social situation
in which more power and prestige are given to men than women. Popenoe 1983:180 says “male dominance is built into our culture, and often
unconsciously shapes our perceptions and daily interactions.” Thohir 2000:95 states that gender roles inequality which has been a
culture will cause women face marginalization, subordination, negative stereotype, violence, sex abuse, and double burden.
2.3 Feminism Theory
