Women\'s Lives in Ancient China

Women Live in Ancient China

China is one of the world's oldest nations, being more than 4000 years old it shows no signs of decline. China has a rich history. It was ruled by several men and by various dynasties. Each ruler set standards for how the Chinese civilization was to be governed and every emperor and dynasty makes the history of China only more interesting.

The ancient Chinese society was predominantly male oriented. Women were considered to be unequal and inferior to men. Most women lived an oppressed life. Even women who belonged to rich and noble families could not always escape from the oppression; however, to an extent their lives were easier than the majority of the other females. (Waley)

The role of women in ancient China was defined by Confucius who was a philosopher, teacher and politician. He believed that women should spend most of their lives serving the men of their families. It so often used to happen that several generations of one family used to live in the same house and so the else people had to be treated with utmost respect. Confucius emphasized that it was not at all acceptable in the Chinese society that women have ambitions and they were not to be permitted to leave their homes. (Huang, 1997) According to Confucius a woman's greatest duty was to bear and raise a son. The birth of a son was preferred over the birth of a daughter and was considered an excuse for celebrations. (Falkenhausen)

In ancient China, marriages were usually arranged. The parents who were considering getting their children married would first consult an astrologer, who would then analyze each child's birth chart. If both, the male and female whose marriage was being arranged were it compatible according the astrologer, a date for marriage would be set. (Richard, 2002) Since women did not have a say or any control over their lives, the word of their father would be final for his daughter to marry. Once married, a woman would move to her in-laws house where she would submit them for the rest of her life. A day after marriage the woman would be expected to bow down and offer tea to her new family and would from then onwards be obliged to obey every member of the family. (Scarpari)

It was not considered necessary to educate women in the ancient Chinese society. Almost all girls were not permitted to leave the boundaries of their homes to go to school and were not even allowed to take any exams which would qualify them to enter into any government services. If a girl had an educated father, she could learn from him, however it was very rare that what she learned from her father would enable her to become equivalent to a man. (Brown)

There was a tradition in ancient China where foot bindings would take place. It began somewhere around the 900 AD and went on until a ban was finally put on it in 1911. Small feet were considered to be a sign of beauty. Initially it was practiced by wealthy families and thus became a symbol for them. Slowly, this tradition spread to all classes as it was seen as a way to enhance ones social status. Women with bound feet would be unable to walk and thus many who belonged to poor families and had to work in fields would then work on their hands and knees. It was believed in the ancient Chinese society that foot binding weakened a woman and made her less likely to become disobedient. This reinforced their popular belief that women were in fact lower to in status than men. (Buckley)