What is the social status of ancient women in China in different historical periods?

The social status of women in China is different in different historical periods, which has generally gone through three stages: first, in the early primitive society, women were relatively respected by men; Second, the status of women in traditional society, that is, men are supreme and women have no right; Third, gender equality exists in today's and future society. The development of women's social status in ancient China was mainly in the first two stages. The so-called "jade master ups and downs, from the matriarchal; The twists and turns begin with slaves; The abyss is difficult to jump, which lies in feudalism. "

1. Pre-Qin period

During the matriarchal society, the productive forces were underdeveloped, and women played an important role in making tools, collecting fruits and other production activities, especially because of reproductive worship and women's role in reproduction, so their social status was higher than that of men. Women's rights are strong, clan tribes practice polygamy, and the phenomenon of "only knowing their mother but not their father" is more common.

At the end of primitive society, with the development of productive forces, the emergence of private ownership and the difference of social division of labor, the inherent physical advantages of men were highlighted in the war. After the winner became a slave owner, the captive became a slave with a lot of wealth and manpower, and the dominant position of women in society was gradually replaced and entered a patriarchal society.

In the later period of slave society, the social status of men was consolidated and strengthened by patriarchal ethics beliefs such as "eldest son inheritance system". Women's status is even lower than that of men, and they even become subservient to men, and are considered to be inferior to men by nature. However, women in this period were less bound by feudal ethics and had some freedom of thought.

2. Qin and Han Dynasties

After Shang Yang's political reform, Qin advocated legalism which emphasized national interests and ignored moral traditions. In some ways, women can be equal to their husbands, for example, women can kill adulterous husbands.

The confinement of Confucian ethics to women in the early Han Dynasty was still in its infancy, and women had a certain social status. At that time, women in the Han Dynasty had greater freedom to marry and divorce, widows could remarry and couples could elope. A famous woman can be a marquis, a title and a city. The story of Lv Hou's dictatorship is an example. She helped Liu Bangmao get rid of the princes with different surnames, executed Han Xin and ruled the country for eight years. However, at the end of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was strengthened, and women had to follow certain moral norms, such as biographies of women and female commandments, and their status declined.

3. Sui and Tang Dynasties

Emperor Wendi of the Sui Dynasty once ordered that "a wife of nine or above and a concubine of five or above, if her husband forgets, shall not remarry", which shows that women's freedom of marriage and love is restricted.

This situation changed slightly in the Tang Dynasty, and the social atmosphere was open and inclusive. Not only do they have certain autonomy in divorce (five princesses remarried in the period of Emperor Taizong), but they also have certain legal inheritance rights in family life. Women can set up their own families, be officials in the DPRK, ride horses and hit the ball in public, and even have the opportunity to order the world (take Wu Zetian as an example).

4. Song and Yuan Dynasties

Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty really profoundly influenced social concepts. "Starvation is small, dishonour is big" emphasizes the integrity of literati, rather than opposing women's remarriage. During the Song Dynasty, women remarried from noble families to ordinary people. In response to Yu Guoxiu in Li, Zhu said: "It is against honor to marry a husband after his death, but there are also people who have to, and saints can't forbid it." Cheng Yi's niece became a widow, and Cheng Fu helped her remarry. Cheng Yi praised his father for "marrying an orphan girl and doing his best."

At the same time, women have the right to inherit property. According to the customs and laws of the Song Dynasty, a part of the property should be given to the daughter at the time of separation, which is generally half of the brother's income, and women have the right to dispose of the property freely when they remarry.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the popular custom of "My brother died and my sister-in-law remarried to my brother" spread to the Central Plains. After the mid-Yuan Dynasty, there were strict restrictions on marrying. However, the freedom of property is not better than that of the previous generation. In the Yuan Dynasty, women remarried "accustomed to marrying dowry property and listening to their ex-husbands" (Rules and Regulations).

5. Ming and Qing Dynasties

During this period, the concept of chastity was extremely advocated, and the admiration for a good wife, a good mother and a heroic woman reached the extreme of ancient society. Men can "divorce their wives" at will, while women can only put up with it and think that if they remarry, they will lose their virginity. There are many examples of chastity archways, martyrdom and never remarriage. At the same time, the rulers used so-called women's teaching such as Internal Training and Biography of Ancient and Modern Women to further oppress women and affect people's lives. In the late Qing Dynasty, the deformed aesthetic concept of the beauty of women's feet permeated the whole society. Both women's freedom of marriage and life have been suppressed as never before.