Gender Roles In Jonathan Spence's The Death Of Woman Wang

Daily life during the Yuan dynasty was not so enjoyable life for woman. This is because woman had a very difficult life and had no rights,they were to be bossed around by men and couldn't accomplish anything themselves unless they make dinner.As well as ,girls were forbidden to have an education and only wealthy boys were able to attend school and because boys were able to succeed greater in society.According to this article called Ancient China:Daily life mentions something really interesting about woman “They were considered much less valuable than men. Sometimes when a baby girl was born she was put outside to die if the family didn't want it. This was considered okay in their society. Women had no say in who they would marry.”.Girls were

Women in ancient Rome and China were very different but quite similar as for as their treatment and roles were concerned. In both cultures they were under the protection of their fathers until they married. When they married they were to stay home and be wives, they were not formally educated and learned to manage their households. They were not allowed to disgrace their families in any way and were inferior to men from the moment of birth. Chinese women whether from a noble or a poor family could not escape oppression, but it was somewhat easier for the women from Noble families. (8) Comparing the women of Ancient Rome (750BC – AD500) and the women of China (350BC – AD600), from the roles they played in

A woman had a busy domestic life. A woman played the role of wife, mother, teacher and manager. She had to please her husband, bear and raise children, educate her children, and manage all daily household activities. In the home, the woman was the jack of all trades. Part of the role of the female was to take raw goods, and turn them into useful items, such as food, candles, and clothing. Women had to clean, butcher and prepare all game brought home to the family. A woman was a household factory. Many items in the home were created by women. All clothing was made by spinning, weaving and stitching. All cloth was washed by hand without the aid of any machines. Candles were made at home by weaving a wick and pouring hot wax into a mold. A woman had to be educated enough to teach her sons and daughters the skills of life. Women spent the majority of their time performing daily tasks, but still were able to have leisure activities such as painting, embroidery, and charity work. Women had very few legal rights. In the majority of colonies, women had no legal control over their lives. It was the consensus among society that

Women were considered to be the “weaker vessels ,” not as strong physically or mentally as men and less emotionally stable. Legally they could neither vote, hold public office, nor participate in legal matters on their own behalf, and opportunities for them outside the home were frequently limited .

During the Song Dynasty (960–1279) in Ancient China, the gender in which a person was born as, changed their whole path of life. Their role in society, their education, their power in the household were very different depending on if they were male or female. A typical female had much less power compared to a man; they were considered the inferior gender. It was unfair, and to an extend, cruel, the way that women were treated compared to a man, but during that time in China, it was so normal that no one questioned it. The roles that each gender held were rigid, quite different, and clearly not equal. As China gained power during this time and became more powerful, women were greatly downgraded by men because men were thought to be the ones

Like the Analects, Ban Zhao's writings do not attempt to address what is right or wrong about society and the role of women within it (Ban Zhao, Lessons for a Woman, 1). Instead, she blames the lack of female education on the ignorance of men, and maintains that although men understand their own place in the society, they fail to realize that the complementary role of women is one that must also be taught (Ban Zhao, Lessons for a Woman, 3). Her writings serve to rectify this

Women were traditionally seen as the weaker sex – second-class citizens with a lower social status than men. A woman’s place was in the home. Men did the “heavier” labor, like plowing and hunting.

In the modern world women work, vote, run for office and the list goes on. In most aspects, women are equal to men. However, this was not always the case. In centuries past, women were not viewed as being equal to men socially, intellectually, or politically and were thought incapable of accomplishing anything of value. Consequently, many cultures held the view that women were possessions whose only purpose was to be subservient to men. The view of women as mere objects is evident in various works of literature throughout the ages. Two classic works of literature that exemplify this are The Thousand and One Nights and Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of

Women were expected to basically be merely an object, even a trophy for their husbands. They were expected to stay home and clean, as well as cook. With all these expected tasks, women hardly had any time to branch out and figure out what they wanted to do with their life. They had no time for leisure activities of any kind because, of course, their activities involved taking care of the house. Women were also seen as the weaker sex, always submissive to their dominant male counterpart. Although the women were submissive, they were held to a higher moral standard. Adultery was twice shamed upon if committed by a woman rather than a man. (Hughes par.3) A woman could be stoned to death, but people would turn their cheek for a man while the woman still was expected to stay beside the man.

The oppression of women has been brought into light in the recent years but it was the norm in many societies in early history especially in premodern east Asia. During that time, the roles of men and women in society were determined by great scholars that had the power to get their voice to be heard and set general rules in society. In China, scholars like Confucius, Mencius, and Mozi had great impact on the way people divided the roles between men and women. The overall oppression of women in premodern east Asia can be seen through quotes from great scholars about how women should be obedient to men, should not make important decisions in their families, and are not spoken of equally to men in society.

The civilizations of ancient Rome and China have long traditions of women occupying a lower position in society than men. While this was a common idea, in practice, there were significant differences in the way the two cultures treated women. Specific developments in both Rome and China led them in two very different directions with regard to the type of lives women could live. Although ancient Rome (750BC-AD500) and China (350BC-AD600) were both oppressive patriarchal societies, the application of technology, widespread use of slavery and the translation of government policies created more personal freedom for Roman women than Chinese women during that time.

In China, women were put in subservient positions to society. They were quiet, obedient creatures who "gathered patience". Song speaks of how women learned to provide for their families, as they were "learning to stretch the family rice". Women were expected to serve a purpose and be seen and not heard.

In the Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck, China is on the verge of a revolution, which influences who Buck depicts the treatment of women. During the 1920’s in China, the communist party was forming which meant there was change for women. Before the communists started to overthrow the government, women were treated horribly. The women, who accounted for half the population, were held subservient to men. Women were considered as chattel, and were often sold. At this time in China, a common injustice opposed on women was the standards of beauty. Women endured a lot by what was considered beautiful. If they were beautiful, which most likely included having their feet bound, they risked a high chance of being raped, and if they were considered

In comparison with men, women didn’t have a lot of rights and freedom. Some argued that men and women were different species and that men were similar to gods and women were similar to animals. Men could vote but women couldn’t,

It was a patriarchal society in the sense that woman had to do as the head of their homes commanded, and that women were not included in as Chinese state officials. The Chinese state officials acted in the name of the emperor in the capital and provinces to represent the social elite. Men of promise were sent to the capital, where they were chosen for official positions. Although Confucius advocated on selecting such officials on merit and morality many of them were chosen from their backgrounds. The Chinese society had a hierarchy of class and a patriarchy which is why there were reformers for women and peasant riots. There were also the Merchants