What were the occupations of women in ancient times?

Definition Occupation: a job performed by an individual that is the main source of livelihood.

Define ancient: before 1840, and later China gradually became one with the world.

Definition not mentioned, we will only talk about the Chinese Han nationality, other nationalities will not be covered for the time being.

After defining these three aspects, the female occupations in ancient China mainly included the following types.

1. Professional domestic service category: providing domestic service for employers. Including the royal family (courtesans, female officials) and the rich and noble families (maids and servants)

2. Freelance category: mainly the three nuns and six women. "Three nuns, nuns, Taoist nuns, Gua aunt also; nuns are women in the temple, Taoist nuns are women in the Taoist temple, Gua aunt, specializing in divination and fortune-telling for people's women. Six women, toothwoman, matchmaker, teacher, pious woman, medicine woman, stable woman also." Toothwives, women who profited from the old Chinese folklore by introducing people for sale and purchase. Matchmakers are women who specialize in bringing men and women together for marriage; Shifa, also known as witches, are women who make their living by pretending to be gods and ghosts, and by drawing charms and reciting incantations; Pious women are women who open Qinlou and Chuyuan houses, and who mediate in pornographic transactions; Yakuo women are women who use medicines to cure people or harm others; and Stabilizers are women who used to take care of mothers' deliveries in the old days. The woman is a woman who delivers babies for women in labor in the olden days.

3, the sex industry practitioners, this is more complex, there are government employees (such as Qi's female cocoon, the latter's music workshop, the female battalion in the army), but also a large number of freelancers or employed by private enterprises.

4, the family industry partners: that is, the family as a unit, family members in partnership. Mainly engaged in agriculture, handicrafts. The most common is "you plow the field to my weaving."