This week we will be finishing the second half of the book “The Leavers,” which explains why Polly has vanished and the inhuman condition she has suffered from deportation. She regretted and blamed herself for not trying hard enough, even though there was nothing she could do. The Leavers was written by Lisa Ko based on a true story of a mentally ill Chinese immigrant arrested in 2008 for not having a Visa in the United States.
For my presentation, I wanted to discuss and do more research on gender inequality in China back then and nowadays. Polly discovers she was pregnant, but she did not want to tell her boyfriend because she knows pregnancy will lead to a marriage that will cage her from seeking the freedom she wants. Research showed in 2000, the divorce rate in China was roughly 0.96 per 1000 and in the United States was roughly 4 per 1000. In 2019, China’s divorce rate was roughly 3.2 per 1000 and 15.7 per 1000 in the U.S. It is apparently not because Chinese couples usually end up with a happy marriage. Twenty years ago, getting a divorce in Chinese culture is something to be ashamed of, especially for women. The Chinese culture has shaped a traditional and stereotypical understanding that females have to give birth to children and take care of the whole family as housewives. Although nowadays female in China has much more freedom in pursuing their individual life as more female influencer stood up against the inequality they were facing, the discrimination toward divorced female is still a social issue that needs to be challenged.
After Polly moved to the United States, she falls in love with Leon, who is also a Chinese immigrant. When Polly asked Leon to move with her to Florida, he refused; when Polly want to go for a walk with the family, he refused. I personally think author Ko intentionally shaped Leon as a not understanding and supportive mate to symbolize typically male figures in China. In Chinese history, there has always been a preference for males and discrimination against females because males are more likely to have a higher pay job to take care of the family, and they are the ones who will carry the family name. After women are pregnant, some families will ask doctors to detect fetuses’ gender even it is no longer legal. If it is a girl, they will likely ask for an abortion and don’t care if that will dangerous the mother’s life. Moreover, some families pay more attention to nutritious male infant and the health of female infants are often neglected, resulting in the mortality rate raise for female infants.
Citations:
Dawson, Kelly. China Women Still Battling Tradition, 70 Years after Revolution, Al Jazeera, 29 Sept. 2019, www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/9/29/china-women-still-battling-tradition-70-years-after-revolution.
Feng, Jiayun. Gender Gaps in Chinese Politics and Science Are Still Massive, SupChina, 25 Aug. 2020, supchina.com/2020/08/25/gender-gaps-in-chinese-politics-and-science-are-still-massive/.
Do Women in China Face Greater Inequality than Women Elsewhere?, ChinaPower, 25 Aug. 2020, chinapower.csis.org/china-gender-inequality/.
Hi Ella,
As a Chinese student, I totally agree with your statements that women are “lower” than men in China. In The Leavers, the image of Leon is a classic American who do not really understand Chinese different culture. Besides, the inequality towards divorced women is still common in the society.
Hey Ella,
The comparisons you made about gender inequality in China from the past to now was very eye-opening. The family dynamic from the past appears to be somewhat similar to that of a Russian one, where there are very distinct roles within the family. However, women did not receive as much backlash. It is interesting to me the stigma divorced women receive. Regardless of what brought on the divorce, the woman always receives more stigma than a man.
Hi Ella. Thank you for sharing your presentation with us this week, I really enjoyed reading the information you gave us. I liked your thought on Ko being a representation of men in China, I think often times a character can be a representation of an entire group or population and this one is no different. I liked that you brought stats in to put into perspective divorce rates and how frowned upon they are, seems kinda odd from an American standpoint where it is so common. Thank you!
Hi Ella, thanks for your research on gender inequality in China. This is really a good by topic from the novel “The Leavers”. I really appreciate that you analyzed Polly’s difficult experience from this gender inequality angle. Your analysis from this angle really helped me to understand Polly, and it was one of the reasons that forced her to move to the States. You also wrote about your understanding of Leon, I would say it is very thoughtful!