Student Study Group Final Project
During the Spring semester of 2026, a small group of students interested in the Harmony Lab project gathered to read and discuss feminism and family. The readings included Feminism : A Very Short Introduction (2005) by Margaret Walters, Women in China’s Long Twentieth Century (2007) by Gail Hershatter, and “Confucian Family for a Feminist Future” (2012) by Ranjoo Seodu Herr. The reading and discussion deepened their knowledge and inspired them to connect the stories drawn from their own lives with those of the people around them. This podcast is their final product, in which they share stories about their families, their mothers, and sometimes themselves. We are proud of the thoughtfulness and courage they brought to these conversations.
Link to the podcast: Harmony Lab Final Podcast 1.mp3
In their own words
The Other Side of Home: Family Ideals and Dilemmas from a Feminist Perspective
— From Confucian Ethics to Care Crisis
Feminism is everywhere these days — in headlines, on social media, in dinner table arguments. But too often, it gets reduced to a single word: conflict. Men versus women. “Us” versus “them”. The noise drowns out the questions that actually matter.
Last semester, a small group of us gathered at Harmony Lab to read and discuss feminism and family. We read Walters, Hershatter, and Herr. We talked about Confucian ethics and the crisis of care. We shared stories about our family, our mothers, and sometimes ourselves.
And again and again, we came back to the same uncomfortable feeling: Things seem to have gotten better — but not nearly better enough. Laws have changed. More women are working. Yet inside the home, in the daily labor of caregiving, housework, and intergenerational responsibility, women are still the ones who carry the weight.
This podcast is not an answer. It is a record of our conversations, a space to sit with the questions we couldn’t resolve: Why does progress feel so incomplete? Who really pays the price for family? And can we imagine a different kind of home, one that doesn’t depend on women’s unpaid labor?
We don’t pretend to have solutions. But we hope that by sharing our confusion, our disagreements, and our small moments of clarity, we can invite others to think alongside us. Because if you’ve ever noticed that your mother, your grandmother, or you yourself are always the ones who “take on a little more” — then this conversation is for you — and we’re glad you found us.
- Participants: Qirui Lei (Sherry), Lauren Mass, Xinyan Ruan (Karima), and Shuyuan Tang (Laura)
- Topic: “The Other Side of Home: Family Ideals and Dilemmas from a Feminist Perspective”— From Confucian Ethics to Care Crisis
- Timestamps:
00:12–02:32 Introduction
02:32–09:45 Round 1: What does family mean to a woman? (From reading to experience)
09:54–17:51 Round 2: Who is paying the price for the family?
18:04–29:04 Round 3: Solutions? -“Reimagining the Family”
29:04–37:04 Conclusion: Returning to that unanswered question
- Editors: Shuyuan Tang (Laura) and Qirui Lei (Sherry)
