Great Leap Forward In Communist China

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Before the Great Leap Forward in 1958, women’s rights in China were nonexistent. Women were forced into demeaning gender roles and hid away in the household, taking care of their families. They had no rights and no voice of their own. During the Great Leap Forward in Communist China in 1961, women’s rights were completely revolutionized and flourished. The Marriage Reform Act was passed by Mao Zedong, which gave a couple the ability to divorce, and ended many toxic relationships. Women were no longer forced to bind their feet, a Chinese custom that made it impossible for women to do work and couldn’t be sold into marriage as consent was required by both parties. The government’s ample support and empowerment of women’s rights in communist China