International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2024

A Century in Retrospect: From “Women’s Issues” to “Gender Sociology”

(Abstract)

Song Shaopeng

China discovered “women” and “women’s issues” and at the same time created “women” in pursuing the theory and practice of modernity. The initial discussion of the “women’s issues” was reflected in the social thought. In 1923, Mei Sheng’s Discussion Collection on Women’s Issues in China showed a social science turn in the discussion of “women’s issues.” The author believes that the discussion of “women’s issues” 100 years ago has already shown the idea of using “women” and “gender” to think about women’s issues and to imagine the future society, but at that time it was still an ideological concept. Both “women” and “female” are primarily theoretical subjects, not empirical realities. 100 years later, China is already a gendered society. Therefore, while promoting refined research, it is necessary to be vigilant against the narrowing of gender research, so as not to reverse the impact of academic research on society and shape a single gender subject and a gendered society.