ness " ▁because ▁they ▁were ▁treated ▁so ▁poor ly . ▁However , ▁sch ol ars ▁of ▁Chinese ▁religion ▁and ▁society ▁note ▁that ▁women ▁generally ▁never ▁felt ▁like ▁they ▁were ▁being ▁victim ized ▁by ▁being ▁forced ▁to ▁have ▁bound ▁feet , ▁but ▁that ▁they ▁quietly ▁re bel led ▁against ▁this ▁soci etal ▁norm ▁by ▁way ▁of ▁acting . ▁Early ▁Chinese ▁femin ists ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century ▁would ▁get ▁around ▁the ▁rules ▁that ▁restricted ▁to ▁them , ▁but ▁not ▁in ▁an ▁obvious ▁way ▁that ▁would ▁get ▁them ▁in ▁trouble . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁privile ge ▁to ▁have ▁bound ▁feet ▁because ▁many ▁women ▁in ▁rural ▁households ▁who ▁were ▁lower ▁class ▁did ▁not ▁marry ▁hyper g am ously ▁before ▁ 1 9 4 9 , ▁and ▁therefore , ▁usually ▁found ▁no ▁benefit ▁in ▁particip ating ▁in ▁foot - binding . ▁Foot binding ▁pointed ▁up ▁the ▁physical ▁differences ▁between ▁men ▁and ▁women , ▁and ▁therefore , ▁encourag ed ▁the ▁patri arch al ▁society . ▁In ▁Chinese ▁society ▁during ▁this ▁time , ▁parents ▁would ▁sc are ▁their ▁daughters ▁at ▁a ▁very ▁young ▁age ▁by ▁telling ▁them ▁that ▁they ▁had ▁to ▁get ▁married ▁and ▁have ▁bound ▁feet ▁to ▁be ▁happy ▁in ▁life . ▁During ▁the ▁May ▁Four th ▁Era , ▁Chinese ▁femin ists ▁began ▁to ▁reject ▁foot - binding ▁as ▁a ▁Fe ud al ▁ideal , ▁as ▁they ▁saw ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁great ▁inequality ▁for ▁women ▁in ▁the ▁new ▁modern ▁social ▁system ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 0 0 s . ▁I rene ▁Dean ,