D.L. Carmody (2011) argued that due to its way of understanding the nature and proposition of gender equity, Taoism has been taken as the theoretical basis of equal social status for women.
Studies of the role of women/gender in Taoism have proliferated in the last three decades, largely due to the rising of feminist movement and its filtration into various disciplines from a cognitive perspective. The existence of the research topic of Taoism and gender studies can be ascribed to the fact that Taoism lays importance to and advocates female characteristics.
Interpretation of the feminism views in classic literature of Taoism is the base of researches on Taoism and gender studies. With regard to these researches, the traditional views are represented by Joseph Needham. He was of the view that the Taoist thought is feminine, that female characteristics are submissive, soft, obedient and opposite to "masculine", and stress tolerance, patience, and acceptance, as well as obedience in social and political relationship. It also advocates following the natural rules and accepting passively. He also argued that Taoist which originated from matrilineal clan community is the reflection of women worship.
Roger T Ames (1980) employed an androgynous interpretation method. He held the thought that Taoism pursues a kind of positive thought which consummated humanity and reconciliation of sexual opposition in balance and harmony, the balance between masculinity and feminism.
Another type of researches on Taoist feminist views is general and abstract, such as Honing, Emily and Gail Hershanter(1988) which outlined the position and role of female in traditional Taoism since its foundation. The author collected all information and literature in this field, with presentation of some new thoughts. All these have made Women in Daoism become the model in the research field.
In 1990s, researches on Taoism and Feminism had achieved further progress. Some scholars made a comparison among the feminist views in the world major religions, and argued that Taoism advocates valuing softness and keeping modesty and emphasizes gender equity. Its understanding of gender relationship has exceeded the physiological range. It has also laid a theoretical base for Western feminists to acquire equal social status. Based on the Yin’yang theory, some scholars have advanced if a gendered Universe is in existence, from a comparative view angle, where there is no balance between the Yin and Yang, the results have far reaching effects on the society which is vacuity (Osgood, Charles E, 2008).
In the recent decade, a lot of researches on Taoism and Western Feminism emerged. Some scholars have made a systematic comparison between the female views in Taoism and Christianity from gender, women's position in family, in church and in society, and the basic principles of feminism theology in Christianity. They are in the view that in terms of respecting women's status, there are many similarities between modern Christianity and ancient Taoism and suggested that feminism theology of Christianity should acquire more spiritual resources from the thoughts of Taoism, while the ancient Taoism should absorb the essence of western culture and update itself in the context of globalization.
Work cited
Osgood, Charles E. "From Yang and Yin to and or but." Language 49.2 (1973): 380–412.
JSTOR. 16 November 2008, jstor.org
Margery Wolf A Thrice-told Tale: Feminism, Postmodernism, and Ethnographic
Responsibility, Stanford university press, 1992.
Honing, Emily and Gail Hershatter, Personal Voices: Chinese women in the 1980s. Palo Alto:
Stanford University Press, 1988.
