Conclusion

I did not really know what I was getting myself into before I started this project. I did not know what laid beyond the ethnic tensions that exist between the Han and Uyghurs. When I came across the topic of women in Uyghur families, I was intrigued and wanted to know more. The outcome of my research has left me perplexed with the situation of many Uyghur women as there are many dynamics playing into their low status. I realized through this research that by simply stating culture or gender inequality is the reason why Uyghur women have less power than men is not a sufficient explanation. It is a delicate topic, which again, involves various relationships that affect women.



The Chinese government's little effort in diminishing the tension between these two ethnicities has only worsened the situation for women. As we learned earlier in this paper, Uyghur families are prohibiting their daughters from advancing in society for they believe they are protecting them and their culture from Han influence; i.e. secular schools teach Chinese, not Turkish and do not allow articles of faith. The state has also impacted the women negatively when looking at the policies they are creating in family planning. Of course, the Uyghurs also have an influence in everything for their culture impacts the traditional roles that women must play. It is an interesting and complex problem where it seems as though both the government and Uyghurs refuse to budge. Perhaps, if the government practiced integration and not assimilation, and eradicated their Islamophobia, it would allow the Uyghurs to feel secure in China and not believe they must strictly safeguard their ethnicity. By doing so, it could alleviate the restrictions placed on women and allow them to freely move within society in education,work, etc. All in all, it would be difficult to separate one aspect as the sole reason for why women do not have many rights.