經濟獨立與女性意識：以五四前後的女性知識分子為例

Economic Independence and Female Consciousness: A Case of the May Fourth Female Intellectuals

清末婦女議題引發知識分子的關注，五四前後受西方思潮影響，知識分子強調經濟獨立是婦女解放的基石。因此，以晚清至五四倡議婦女經濟獨立的思潮及社會脈絡為背景，本文立意選擇五位成長於五四前後的女性知識分子，援引女性們撰寫自傳、小說、回憶錄與其論述五四、婦女相關議題文章，他人為女性撰寫的傳記或研究著作，以及述及當代婦女經濟相關文章。應用論述分析為研究方法，本文主旨在於探究與詮釋女性知識分子在經濟困境中女性主體意識覺醒，追求經濟獨立行動中女性主體與群體意識的展現以及意涵。本文提出女性知識分子選擇不再依賴家庭，面對經濟困境中展現女性主體意識的覺醒。經濟獨立的歷程，女性克服社會阻礙或男性歧視的勇氣與努力，促發也展現女性主體意識的成長。女性或就業或創業的行動，是女性主體意識的體現。關懷女性的同胞經濟獨立與職業活動，則是女性知識分子婦女群體意識的展現。最後，本文提出女性經濟獨立仍有值得深思之處。

Women's issues were a concern for late Qing intellectuals. Influenced by Western thought, the intellectuals of the May Fourth era emphasized that economic independence was the cornerstone of women’s emancipation. Against the backdrop of cultural and social contexts advocating for women's economic independence during the May Fourth period, this paper selects five female intellectuals who came of age in that time. Drawing on their autobiographies, novels, memoirs, essays discussing the May Fourth Movement and women-related issues, biographies or research works written about them, as well as contemporary articles on women's economics, the study applies discourse analysis as a research method to examine and interpret the awakening of female subject consciousness among these female intellectuals amidst economic hardship. It further explores the manifestation of their subject and collective consciousness in their pursuit of economic independence and considers the implications of these developments. The paper argues that female intellectuals who chose to no longer depend on their families, despite facing economic hardships, demonstrated the awakening of their female subject consciousness. Their journey toward economic independence, along with their courage and efforts to overcome social barriers and male discrimination, both enhanced and reflected the development of their subject consciousness. Women's participation in employment and the establishment of businesses symbolized the embodiment of this subject consciousness. Furthermore, concern for the economic independence of their fellow women and their involvement in employment revealed an emerging collective consciousness among female intellectuals. Finally, the paper offers reflections on the broader implications of women’s economic independence.