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Continuity in gender roles in the chinese society in 600-1450
Women in Chinese culture
Gender roles in ancient china
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Rhetoric has been used in China, to help establish, and to keep Chinese women in their proper societal roles. The continual struggle for power between consort and officialdom motivated the enemies of imperial ladies to develop rhetoric that justified excluding women from government. [1}. Female influence, which was predicated upon kinship roles. The principal roles were those of wife and mother. Therefore Attempts were made to diminish these roles by putting a woman’s inherent femininity over social roles. A woman was a female first and a mother second. This empowered rhetoricians to contend that women were “intrinsically evil and untrustworthy. [2] Furthermore, Han officials were especially adept at rhetoric and used hyperbole to …show more content…
Some types of education could be used to confine women to restrictive social roles. Education was link more with social roles more than individual liberation [5] The Han dynasties tied to delineate the relationship between women and knowledge [6] Educators tried to confine women into preconceived roles. Literature was filled with stores of women fulfilling these societal roles. In passing these stories down to their children women were perpetuating these roles... However, not all women embodied to these roles. Some women sought literacy and some high ranking women were highly educated. Empress Dau was an enthusiastic scholar. She lived in a time when Confucian ideals has not yet fully taken hold, and thus, she was able to use her authority to push Daoist ideals upon Emperors Wen and Jing [7] Ban Zhao, another powerful woman of the Han era, was also an advocate of for the education of females. People reacted to her ideas of universal literacy with fear. She was a smart woman and portrayed education as a way of strengthening patrilineal values. Strengthening her claims, she used the statement in the Records of Rituals that children should be taught to read by age eight to justify her teachings. Since the text simply said children, and did not specify sex, she was able to claim that this applied to both boys and girls [8]. Lady Zhao later helped to edit the Records of the Han, further solidifying her place as one of the highest educated women in Ancient Imperial
The role of women in learning and education underwent a gradual change in the Afro-Eurasian world and the Americas between the 11th and 15th centuries. As societies in Africa, Middle East, India, China, Europe, and America grew more complex they created new rights and new restrictions for women. In all regions of the world but the Middle East, society allowed women to maintain education in order to support themselves and their occupations. Women slaves in the Middle East were, however, prized on their intelligence. In Africa, women were trained in culinary arts. In India, women learned how to read and write with the exception of the sacred verses of the Vedas.
As stated before, many women who felt that they were involved in nationalist movements saw these opportunities presented to women. In document 4, Teodora Gomes is able to provide us with information about the opportunities of roles in nationalist party leadership for women. In document 1, Manmohini Saghal shows increased public participation of women. In document 2, Song Qingling even shows that women have taken place in military efforts during this time. In document 1, Manmohini Saghal shows increased public participation of women. These documents clearly show how women saw these movements as opportunities to change th...
The woman’s role in China has drastically changed from the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911, to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, through to modern day society. The new People’s Republic leader Mao Zedong, gradually developed his theory of continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat, and this influenced his view of women and therefore the Chinese Communist Party’s policy regarding women. Throughout this essay, the effect Mao Zedong’s ideology had on women in China will be discussed further. In order to truly understand the effect Mao Zedong had on women during his communist reign, it is critical to understand the role of women in traditional china, Mao Zedong’s original motives, how the role of women
As mentioned above, women’s role were unjust to the roles and freedoms of the men, so an advanced education for women was a strongly debated subject at the beginning of the nineteenth century (McElligott 1). The thought of a higher chance of education for women was looked down upon, in the early decades of the nineteenth century (The American Pageant 327). It was established that a women’s role took part inside the household. “Training in needlecraft seemed more important than training in algebra” (327). Tending to a family and household chores brought out the opinion that education was not necessary for women (McElligott 1). Men were more physically and mentally intellectual than women so it was their duty to be the educated ones and the ones with the more important roles. Women were not allowed to go any further than grammar school in the early part of the 1800’s (Westward Expansion 1). If they wanted to further their education beyond grammar, it had to be done on their own time because women were said to be weak minded, academically challenged and could n...
During the Cultural Revolution, the traditional attitude about educating woman changed as shown through Chinese history and as written by Bette Boa Lord in Spring Moon. Pre-cultural revolution, women were not allowed to be educated. After the revolution, more and more woman were being educated and getting jobs. We see this through the character’s actions in Spring Moon, and in real Chinese experiences.
Women were not seen as breadwinners in the household but instead as a supporting role to their husbands. A woman’s job was to clean, cook, nurture, and entertain. Very few universities accepted female students. The few that did were segregated for women only and not highly regarded at all. Parents raised their daughters, preparing them to be good housewives and mothers with no support towards furthering their education. Women were not though to be as smart, strong, or capable as men and when seeking jobs, had a very difficult time obtaining the position. The few women able to acquire jobs were not regarded as highly as a “good” stay at home mother and wife would have been. A woman’s role was not to be a student or a professional, but to be a
Starting as children, middle-class families will send boys to school to learn science or mathematics while girls were sent to learn dancing and drawing instead. There is no purpose, as people argue, that women are just there to care for the families. What need was there to teach women education
Taught the larger section twice a week, held smaller discussion sessions weekly, marked and graded papers.
The early part of the novel shows women’s place in Chinese culture. Women had no say or position in society. They were viewed as objects, and were used as concubines and treated with disparagement in society. The status of women’s social rank in the 20th century in China is a definite positive change. As the development of Communism continued, women were allowed to be involved in not only protests, but attended universities and more opportunities outside “house” work. Communism established gender equality and legimated free marriage, instead of concunbinage. Mao’s slogan, “Women hold half of the sky”, became extremely popular. Women did almost any job a man performed. Women were victims by being compared to objects and treated as sex slaves. This was compared to the human acts right, because it was an issue of inhumane treatment.
In discussing the Chinese dynasty’s and during the Han Dynasty, Ban Baio, a famous Chinese historian, wrote “Lessons for a Woman,” (200-300 CE) outlining the position and duties of women in society. As time changed and civilization emerged, so did history as it began to bel less biblical and more focused on social change. McNeill notes that, “cultural borrowing,” was in fact a huge part of civilization. This document in particular can serve as an example in which Baio felt was a set of instructions for the proper behavior and attitude of women, particularly with regard to their
Furthermore, Han officials were especially adept at rhetoric and used hyperbole to criticize and restrict the power of consorts and their interference in state affairs. Han historians commenced blaming women for the downfall of each dynasty. [5] 2063. With the passage of time, this rhetoric of woman as evil heightened to the point where women were caricatures. Mo Xi a beauteous consort of Emperor Jie was reputed to have led the dynasty to its ruin due to her overindulge and extravagance. It was claimed that she allowed the common people starve while they hanging meat, from trees, as decoration. [6]
Lessons for Women is a short book with seven chapters outing the four virtues a woman must abide by. Those virtues being; proper virtue, proper speech, proper countenance, and proper conduct. The book itself describes the status and position of women in society. Ban Zhao, the first woman historian of China, wrote Lessons for Women. The society that she lived in, ca. 45-120 C.E. Xianyang, Shaanxi province, did not grant women a status equal to of men, because women were generally regarded as unworthy or incapable of a literary education. Ban Zhao’s purpose for writing Lessons for Women was to prepare her daughters to be capable of managing themselves as women and honor a man in a marriage relationship. Ban Zhao’s works motivated women to gain
After I read the Women’s Roles in Traditional China Ebrey text, I know that it described women’s virtue and vices. And also the text includes perceptions of women and they can’t participate with the financial problems. For talking about the women’s roles in old China, I associate the Books of odes with describing the women’s figure, one of this odes describe, “ Peach tree young and fresh, plump are its fruits: this girl’s getting married, she’ll do well in her rooms. It depicted that most of girl were the virtuous figure and can do the well household at home. This text also indirectly mentioned that women should did the household at home and couldn’t have a work at outside, which shows that women has a low status in ancient society.
Confucius was a legendary teacher from China. He was born during the “Spring and Autumn Period” of Chinese history (Richey). Despite being one of the most well-known people to have ever walked the face of the earth, Confucius had relatively humble beginnings. He was born in Lu, which would be known as modern day Shantung, to a single mother. Sadly, his father had passed away before he had been born. His mother not only raised but educated him. His mother’s education of him had a profound impact on Confucius and the impact can be seen in his ideologies. In the Confucian system, the primary purpose of women was to educate the children. To Confucius, education and learning for that matter were very important and it guided him to become a teacher.
My first point is that Wu Ze Tian was the empress of the Tang dynasty and ruled it for almost half a century; it was also a very successful dynasty. She could even set up secret police teams that protect her from protests and assassination attempts. This shows that women can rule a country-even one as large as China. Wu Ze Tian was not only intelligent but beautiful. Wu Ze Tian appointed Li Ji, a famous army general, to lead the army to invade Koryu on the Korean peninsula. It was a success thanks to the strategizing tactics of Wu Ze Tian. This earned the respect of China. Famous scholars like Dr. Sun Yat-sen's, wife Song Qingling, said of Wu: 'She was an excellent woman politician in Chinese feudal time. Wu even got rid of her rival Gaozong and the people of China favored her more than Gaozong. Wu also gave more freedom to women and stopped foot binding which caused a lot of pain. Women became freer under her female rule. How is that oppressive treatment to women? Wu also improved China’s education by improving the Keju Education System, which was introduced by the Sui Dynasty (581-618).