An Expressive Turn with a Chinese Twist: Young Women’s Other-Sex Relations in Three Generations

Liu, Fengshu

doi:10.1177/0038038517702601

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Also, supported by their parents, more and more women are able to leave their hometowns to pursue better life chances and career prospects through within-China or overseas migration (Jackson and Liu, 2017). It is generally believed that the form of filial piety has changed from children's complete submission to parental authority to reciprocal support between the two generations (Liu, 2018). In particular, downward transfers of resources from older parents have now become a crucial source of support for young adult sons and daughters to deal with practical needs, such as the rising costs of living and housing in urban China (Zhang et al, 2019).…”

Section: The Current Study: Lalas Building Their Own Families In the mentioning

confidence: 99%

Family formation among lalas (lesbians) in urban China: Strategies for forming families and navigating relationships with families of origin

2020

Journal of Sociology

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This article explores the ways in which Chinese lesbians, who identify themselves as lalas, form their own families and navigate their relationships with families of origin. To date, there is a lack of research on families formed by same-sex couples in urban China, where homosexuality remains stigmatized. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 35 lala-identified women in Beijing, this article shows that lalas’ formation of families has been shaped by, but at the same time shaping, their relationships with their families of origin, who tend to embrace heteronormative family beliefs. Engaging with ongoing debates on choice and individualization, this study reveals the tensions between lalas’ family aspirations and gendered, familial, material, and socio-political constraints imposed on female-led same-sex families. It contributes to sociological understanding of family change by revealing alternative paths to same-sex family formation in a context where the act of coming out is challenging and families formed by same-sex couples remain largely invisible.

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Section: The Current Study: Lalas Building Their Own Families In the mentioning

confidence: 99%

Family formation among lalas (lesbians) in urban China: Strategies for forming families and navigating relationships with families of origin

2020

Journal of Sociology

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“…As a stranger, I was also sufficiently distanced for them to confide in me about matters they might not have divulged to people close to them. Many confided in me about their school romance and sex life, asking me not to tell parents and teachers (Liu, 2018). They said that they enjoyed talking openly to me about their life.…”

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confidence: 99%

Chinese Young Men’s Construction of Exemplary Masculinity: The Hegemony of Chenggong

Liu

2017

Men and Masculinities

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Using interviews with twenty-five male Beijingers in their final year of upper secondary school, this article shows that their construction of masculinities in all cases revolves around the importance of chenggong (outstanding accomplishment). They perceived chenggong as a prerequisite for the “the good life,” “the good person,” and “the good man.” But striving for chenggong entails much personal cost. Chenggong’s strong assertion by all these young men, notwithstanding intragroup differences, may indicate its contemporary hegemonic status. Suggested explanations are: the general importance of exemplary norms in China, the influence of neoliberalism and consumerism (and the attendant individualism) in post-Mao China, and their being “only children” from urban and mostly middle-class background; in particular, there is the competitive advantage which men derive from their prospective chenggong in a marriage market where a strong hypergamy norm for women is combined with a discourse of “natural sex differences” and notorious sex ratio imbalances.

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“…However, as the excerpt from Ye indicates, “is loving” can be difficult to define. In our study, participants mentioned verbal expressions of emotional love, such as “I miss you” and “I love you.” This suggests a shift or “expressive turn” wherein “emotional expressivity and intimacy are new values for personal relationships” in China (F. Liu, 2017, p. 951). Research suggests there are intergenerational changes taking place in the perception and acceptance of emotional love in personal relationships in China (e.g., F. Liu, 2017).…”

Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our study, participants mentioned verbal expressions of emotional love, such as “I miss you” and “I love you.” This suggests a shift or “expressive turn” wherein “emotional expressivity and intimacy are new values for personal relationships” in China (F. Liu, 2017, p. 951). Research suggests there are intergenerational changes taking place in the perception and acceptance of emotional love in personal relationships in China (e.g., F. Liu, 2017). Other research indicates changes in the expression of “parental warmth” between parents and children in Chinese immigrant families (e.g., Wu & Chao, 2005).…”

Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional echoes, contemporary shifts: Chinese college students' views of the “good mother”

2023

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ObjectiveThe objective of this research was to investigate contemporary Chinese college students' perceptions of the “good mother.”BackgroundIncreased lifestyle and self‐fulfillment choices have recently become available for college‐age students in China. However, there is government, societal, and family pressure for women to be married, ideally by 25 years of age, and to bear children as a patriotic and socially stabilizing duty.MethodA qualitative study using thematic analysis to code data from semistructured interviews with 20 male and female college students.ResultsFive attributes of a good mother were identified: “is a guide,” “is loving,” “communicates with her child as with a friend,” “is not overcontrolling,” and “balances paid work and time with her child.”ConclusionThis study contributes to ongoing research across cultures and societies, which aims to understand what young adults believe to be a “good mother” and how this may affect their future parenting practices. Within the Chinese context, perceptions of a “good mother” include traditional echoes—for example, mother as primary caregiver—mixed with contemporary ideas—for example, pursuing the right to seek personal fulfillment and financial autonomy and a move away from a top‐down authoritarian style of parenting. Gendered perceptions of physical punishment, childrearing anxiety, and parental sacrifice were identified.ImplicationsFuture policymakers should provide greater social and workplace options and implement support services to alleviate the anxiety women experience in their dual aspirations to succeed in paid work and to be good mothers. Educating men regarding their contribution to caregiving and the fostering of family harmony should also be prioritized.

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An Expressive Turn with a Chinese Twist: Young Women’s Other-Sex Relations in Three Generations

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Family formation among lalas (lesbians) in urban China: Strategies for forming families and navigating relationships with families of origin

Family formation among lalas (lesbians) in urban China: Strategies for forming families and navigating relationships with families of origin

Chinese Young Men’s Construction of Exemplary Masculinity: The Hegemony of Chenggong

Traditional echoes, contemporary shifts: Chinese college students' views of the “good mother”

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