At first, CHEN Peiwei presented her thesis on “Constructing Gendered Fear on Digital Platforms: Understanding Young Women’s Fear of Childbirth (FOC) on Red.” FOC discourse has become prevalent among young women on digital platforms in China, often depicting childbirth as painful and terrifying. This study analyzed 187 notes on FOC discourse on Red using CDA, to explore why FOC discourse emerged as a popular topic among young women on digital platforms, as well as how Red users construct FOC discourse. Findings revealed a tension between resistance to traditional gender roles (prioritizing education and careers) and compromise (accepting traditional roles). Regardless of stance, women saw their choices as personal without challenging deeper structural issues, reflecting an internalization of neoliberal discourses. The study enriches the understanding of FOC discourse in the Chinese context and its ties to societal shifts.

Next, WANG Zijie presented her research on “The Change of Female Image in Chinese Family Films and Its Influence on Contemporary Chinese Female Thought.” This research examines how women are portrayed in contemporary Chinese family films within the context of traditional family structures. Analyzing three 21st-century Chinese family movies (“Einstein & Einstein” (2013), “Spring Tide” (2019), and “Sister” (2021)), along with conducting five in-depth interviews, the study identifies three distinct female archetypes: rebellious daughters, self-sacrificing sisters, and mothers trapped in their homes. “Einstein & Einstein” focuses on the journey of a rebellious daughter, highlighting her evolving subjectivity against patriarchal oppression. “Sister” explores the conflict of a young woman balancing personal independence with familial responsibilities. “Spring Tide” delves into the intergenerational conflicts within a family. Overall, the study underscores the strengths and limitations of contemporary Chinese family films in portraying women’s roles and experiences within family dynamics.

The third presentation was delivered by ZOU Yufei, her topic was “The Presentation of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Contemporary Chinese Family Films.” The study analyzed Chinese family films to understand the nuances of the mother-daughter dynamic in Chinese culture. Findings revealed several archetypal forms of mother-daughter relationships: “Coexistence” portrays a deep emotional bond between mother and daughter, where they rely on each other for support. “Independence” highlights the separation between the two, emphasizing the daughter’s quest for autonomy. “Domination & Resistance” reflects the prevalent power struggle between mothers and daughters. “Absence & Disorientation” depicts situations where the mother fails to fulfill her role adequately. “Abusive & Divisive” portrays a destructive relationship characterized by psychological abuse from the mother. “Dependence & Devotion” illustrates instances where the daughter assumes the caregiver role due to the mother’s weakness. “Discipline & Imitation” showcases the mother’s controlling nature shaping the daughter into a mirror image of herself. This research sheds light on the diverse nature of mother-daughter relationships in Chinese cinema, providing insights into generational differences and cultural shifts.

Written by: YU, Mengke

In this week’s Wednesday Gender Seminar, we have a mini-conference of the MA thesis in Gender Studies 2024 and have the Gender Studies RPG&MA Outstanding Thesis Award Presentation Ceremony. What impresses me most is MA student Peiwei Chen’s thesis topic, Constructing Gendered Fear on Digital Platforms: Understanding Young Women’s Fear of Childbirth (FOC) on Red. In Chen’s research, she introduces the Fear of Childbirth (FOC) discourse, having become a popular topic among young women on Chinese digital platforms where childbirth is often described as a painful and terrifying experience. She explores the new gender dynamics that are formed under the intertwined influence of the state, market, and traditions as China transitions from a socialist to a market economy. Chen tries to answer the question of “Why does FOC discourse emerge as a popular topic among young women on digital platforms? Empirically, how do Red users construct FOC discourse?” The research uses Python to grab the notes under the topic “#生育恐懼 #恐育 #恐生恐育 #恐生 #恐孕 #生娃恐懼 #不敢生孩子“ in Red from September 2021 to September 2023. According to the analysis of statistics, Chen finds that digital platforms offer women a venue to construct themselves as independent individuals despite real-life compromises on childbirth burdens. The widespread engagement with FOC discourse on social media platforms states young women’s aspirations to challenge traditional gender norms and assert their autonomy concerning childbirth decisions. Red, as a general and public digital platform, provides a critical platform with young women to share their worries, complaints, and fears about the unknown knowledge of childbirth and the struggle of shouldering the so-called moral and social responsibilities of being a mother and forming a family. Through Chen’s research and findings, I find that most of the fear of childbirth in China is because of the lack of sex education, mothering guidance, and responsible social protection welfare for mothers and babies. Young women always find childbirth is like a trap, tricking women into being locked in the cage of gender stereotypes and patriarchal heterosexual society. Being influenced by Western feminism, independent women have become the ideal figures of young Chinese women. The conflict of culture and ideology in feminism and childbirth freedom, young women regard childbirth as the opposite and negative symbol of gender bias and not being feminist. Therefore, young women today hold an extremely negative attitude towards childbirth and marriage and are entirely against women having the right to childbirth. With Chen’s research, she tries to mitigate young women’s anxiety and fear of childbirth and embrace the unique right and choice of being a mother instead of disgusting the natural biographic symptoms of being a female. From my perspective, I sincerely hope that Chen’s research can help provide a more general and neutral aspect of gender rights and gender imbalance and offer readers ways to reach a neutral step between being a feminist and also accepting the physical features of being a female.

Moreover, by unveiling the truth and image of the messy discussion on FOC in Red, I hope departments can show concern about sex education in school and even in public to help people know more about sex knowledge and together try to protect gender rights. Also, it hopefully can remind the government to complete the law and regulations on childbirth and parenting mothers and suggests companies reach equality in the workplace by offering women pregnancy leaves and reducing discrimination against married or mother women. There are a lot of steps we have to take to achieve gender equality in mothering, childcare, marriage, work, education, and every social situation with different genders.

Written by: ZHANG, Yingzi

在本次小型学术会议上，有三位性别研究硕士生分享了她们的研究。

陈培炜研究了中国年轻女性在数字平台上关于分娩恐惧（FOC）的讨论，揭示了在社会主义向市场经济转型过程中形成的新性别动态对女性生育选择的影响。通过分析微博上的相关笔记，研究发现女性表达了对婚姻、分娩、家庭责任和职业发展等多方面的担忧。未婚女性倾向于利用议价能力拒绝传统生育负担，追求独立；而已婚女性则可能在面对冲突时合理化生育问题，以满足传统性别角色。研究指出，无论抵抗还是妥协，女性通常将决定视为个人选择，而非挑战结构性问题。此外，研究强调了数字平台在构建独立个体身份和挑战传统生育叙事中的作用，为理解年轻女性在数字时代的自我认同提供了新视角。

王子婕研究了中国家庭电影中女性角色的演变及其对女性观众思想的影响。从1980年代前的革命理想化女性形象，到21世纪表达现代焦虑和存在困境的家庭电影，女性角色逐渐展现出更多的个性和独立性。通过《狗十三》等电影案例分析，研究指出女性意识的觉醒和对传统家庭规则的反抗。同时，对比了两代母亲形象，展示了女性在追求个人幸福和家庭责任之间的平衡探索。这些变化反映了中国女性地位的提升和性别平等意识的增强，对当代女性的思想和生活选择产生了积极影响。

邹毓菲探讨了中国家庭电影中母女关系的表现形式及其对女性意识的影响。随着女性导演对母性主题的深入挖掘，电影开始展现母女间的真实情感和复杂关系，不再将母亲形象简单神化。通过分析《柔情史》、《喜福会》等电影，研究指出母女关系在家庭和社会中的重要性，并从多个角度探讨了母女间的共存、从属、依赖、纪律等动态。这些作品揭示了女性在父权文化中的困境和挑战，同时也展现了女性对自我认同和独立性的探索。通过这些电影，我们可以看到女性导演如何通过母女关系来反映和质疑传统家庭结构，以及如何在女性主义电影制作和理论发展中找到新的表达方式。

Written by: ZHU, Huiying

總體來看，三位演講者的研究內容都以媒體傳播為載體分析當代女性聚焦的性別議題。

陳培煒同學關注到小紅書上年輕女性對生育的恐懼，這是近年小紅書平臺上被女性熱議的話題。根據小紅書用戶畫像統計，小紅書的女性用戶佔比高達80%，並具有年輕化、高學歷、對新鮮事物接受程度高、追求生活品質等特點。在小紅書上，女性可以談論生育恐懼而不會感到困惑。陳同學觀察了未婚女性和已婚女性對生育問題的反抗與妥協，在渴望擺脫傳統性別負擔的同時，女性通過代孕、收養、僱傭保姆等方式進行妥協，這種妥協或抵制的選擇本質上是一種戰略，旨在最大限度地提高個人利益，並最大限度地減少當前社會結構中的潛在傷害和風險，而不是挑戰這些結構性問題。在生育問題上獲得真正的自主權結局權，更重要的是挑戰現有的性別結構與性別規範，小紅書等數字媒體平臺正有效推動著這一進程。

王子潔同學研究了中國家庭電影中女性形象的變化，通過對不同年代中國家庭電影中女性形象演變的分析可以看到中國女性形象在影視作品中的重塑與蛻變。女性不再頻繁以家庭中的某個角色出現，而是成為獨立的個體去追求愛情、理想與事業等。但父權制仍舊籠罩並影響著女性熒幕角色的呈現，如《狗十三》中熱愛物理的少女李玩，她將小狗愛因斯坦視為精神寄託，但作為不被重視的女兒，她在失去愛犬後只能選擇妥協，父親和繼母把愛給了弟弟，她的乖巧懂事要通過服從男性家長的管教來體現，這樣的女性角色的經歷令觀眾感到窒息。

鄒毓菲同學通過對17部中國母女關係為敘事線索的電影的觀察研究，將影視作品中的母女關係分為上級、下級、平等和無關聯的四種關係，基本涵蓋了當代中國社會常見的母女相處模式。其中提到《春潮》對惡母形象的描述，也像是對主流話語敘事的一次反抗。它用殘忍的筆觸，解構了主流話語中那個代表著至美至善的母親形象。這對頌揚母愛的傳統是一次次大膽的冒犯。事實上，一旦一種現象若成為不可解構的對象，那麼它就不可避免地成為僵化的存在。

Written by: ZHAO, Kaiyu