A Research Of Women's Health Undertaking In Hubei Province In The 1950s

Unprecedented great changes took place in Chinese politics, economy, culture and education in the 1950s. Meanwhile, the women's health condition improved greatly in this highly politicized society. As a large province in the middle of China, Hubei province forwarded a women's health undertaking in the 1950s, the efforts of which could be seen as a microcosm of the whole country. It's pointed out in the thesis that the women's health's undertaking was highly politicized in the 1950s, which explained the success of the women's health undertaking and laid down hidden trouble for its development as well as providing some explanation for the weak women's consciousness. Five sections are included in this thesis.Section One introduces the historical context of this research which summarizes the slowly-developed and impeded health undertaking and health condition under the bad living and working conditions about the women in Hubei province after 1840. Section Two makes a brief introduction of the health-care institutions and organization for women in Hubei in the 1950s. It's found out that a network of women's health-care which covered the whole province of Hubei was set up within several years. And through this network did women's health undertaking in Hubei develop steadily.Section Three and Tour discussing the women's health undertaking in Hubei province in the 1950s are the key points of this thesis. Two main aspects are included here, one in Section Three and the other in Section Four. Section Three analyzes women's health undertaking relating to giving birth, such as the promotion of new methods for child delivery, painless parturition as well as birth control. The promotion of these new methods not only lessens the pain,but also ensures the safety of giving birth.As well, it helps to get rid of the feudal and superstitious ideas in their mind and reflects the national thoughts on women's liberation. Section Four analyzes the women's health issue closely related to labor. Protective measures for working women were taken in factories and mines and in rural areas in Hubei province. Special protections during the "Four Period" especially menstruation and pregnancy period were given to the women. At the same time measures were taken to prevent and cure gynecological diseases caused by overwork and also some other common gynecological diseases. Section Five is the last part of this thesis. It makes a general comment on the women's health undertaking forwarded by national power in the 1950s, with a summary of the features of women's health undertaking and its success and limits. It points out that there's a close connection between national politics and women's health undertaking at that time. In the end, this section analyzes the influence of womens health undertaking in the 1950s on the women's consciousness.