Impact and response: Debate on the necessity of female education in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic period

Abstract

The late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China were the periods of rapid changes in Chinese society. People’s thoughts were wandering between persistence and innovation. Influenced by the introduction of Western ideas, missionaries and advanced Chinese intellectuals advocated women’s education and the establishment of girls’ schools. Influenced by the traditional social division of labor, feudal ethical thoughts and heavy historical accumulation, it has not received unanimous support, and this resistance mainly comes from conservatives. Under the pressure of public opinion from all walks of life, women’s right to education was initially established. The debate on the necessity of women’s education presents the characteristics of impact and response, reflecting the rise of feminism and the awakening of women’s self-consciousness.