This book explores women's status in the family in contemporary rural Chinese society. Focusing on state policies, traditional culture and their impacts on women and family relations, the book examines: division of labor, household work, mate selection and marriage formation, decision-making power, and marital relations in rural families over a course of 50 years. Using an ethnographic approach, the field research is conducted in a central China village to learn about: 1) the evolution of family life; 2) the impacts of state policies and traditional culture on family relations; and, 3) the...