Women vs. Men

“Many of those babies die through miscarriages, at child birth, or from illnesses. Girls-so susceptible to weakness from poor food and neglect- never outgrow their vulnerability. We either die young-from foot bindings as my sister died, in giving birth, or from too much work with too little nourishment- or we outlive those we love. Baby boys, so precious, can die just as easily, their bodies too young to have taken root, their souls too tempting for spirits from the afterworld. Then, as many men, they are at risk from infections from cuts, food poisoning, problems in the fields or on roads, or hearts that can’t stand the stress of watching over an entire household. This is why there are so many widows.” (150) In this passage, the contrast between the roles of men and women are clearly seen. As a Chinese woman, you would have to constantly worry about your children, whether it’s a miscarriage that may occur anytime during the nine months of pregnancy, or death by an illness. As girls, they worry about dying due to vulnerabilities or outliving their loved ones. Boys can die when their bodies are not mature enough to be immune to the dangers around. Men worry about providing for the entire household. Looking at both sides, it seems that women and men had the same amount of worries and are at the same level of worth, but, in truth, woman are the more important gender because of their ability to give birth, while men are only favorable because they are the provider.