How Did A Women Become A Concubine In China?

There are many similarities and differences between the women living in Rome and Han China during 753 B.C.E. to 330 C.E. In both societies; women were property to the male figure of the household whether that be their father or husband. Obviously equality was not a concept in neither Ancient Rome or Han China. In Rome, women played no public role whatsoever, but in Han China, women engaged in various professions in and outside of the home. Another important difference between these two places is that under no circumstances were the Roman women allowed to obtain political power, while, in Han China, women were given power. Regarding Ancient Rome, most of the information stated in this essay pertains to the women in the upper classes.

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

They worked alot indoors and outdoors. They were expected to do housework like taking care of the infants. Athenian women also had the responsibility of maintaining the fields. Women did have some rights such as being able to divorce their husbands and remarry. The downfall of this right was that their new husband would not trust them. The women had to obey their husbands and do as they were told. “The courage of a man is seen in commanding, of a woman in obeying -Aristotle, Works, circa 350 BCE” (Doc. Q). Just as in the Athenian Empire, in Han China the women were expected to be obedient to their husbands. Their women had to be humble, must be diligent, and must be continuing the sacrifices. “There has never been a woman who had these traits and yet ruined her reputation or fell into disgrace on the other hand, if a woman lacked these traits, she will have no name to preserve and will not be able to avoid shame” (Doc. R). In this period of time most empires lived in a patriarchal society where the man was the one in charge making women seem like the lesser being. Women in both empires had their distinct ways of showing their loyalty to men but in the end they were viewed the same way.

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

Women controlled many of the in house affairs, such as dealing with servants, family resources, and money. In terms of authority, a man’s mother and wife were treated with a higher level of respect than other women. Although, throughout both dynasties, when a women entered marriagehood, she became part of her husband's family; the women were also not able to obtain their dowry. During the Song Dynasty, confucian beliefs and social norms were much more present. Surrounding women, confucian beliefs generally say a women should stay at home and had the lion’s share of work. The custom of footbinding throughout the Song Dynasty further depressed women's role and social standing. Footbinding began at the higher class and elite; the custom was in place to make womens feet smaller and more attractive. This was a painful process of binding feet with cloth to achieve beauty and luxury, which became so socially acceptable that it was even forced by many parents onto their daughters. The fear was not being able to find a husband if the daughter had big feet. Over time, the status of women negatively declined between each dynasty.

Within chinese society, this meant that the ideals for a women were strictly tied to their role within the family home, and specifically the inner chamber. The prevalence of this model of feminine behavior is backed by the many writings directed toward the instruction of women. One of these is written by Song Ruozhao, and her Analectics for Women became a text of rules to aspire to within the Tang dynasty (SEAT, 415). This writing emphasises the role of women in maintaining the family, and the shame associated with “the ways of lazy women” (p. 419). In actuality, it is unlikely that this perfect female ideal could ever be achieved. This did not mean that women did not try, but it can be assumed that this would have been more common for those of the elite classes. For those women who were of lesser birth, it is probable that they would have had more flexibility with the gender roles, as their labor would have been needed to supplement with tasks that were seen as traditionally masculine, such as in

From the man’s view, women’s roles and duties in the household were key to a stable family, and men exerted their control over women to ensure their desired way of life. Roman women in their duties to the household and domestic life were an essential to life in the empire. The women’s duties included taking care of household duties, child care, attention to her husband, and cleaning. Women in Han China needed to fulfill her duties in order to be accepted by her husband and family while being obedient and following her husband’s orders. Han women were treated like servants by their husbands and were not allowed to address their husbands by their name which illustrated their limited freedom. According to Mencius an ancient Chinese philosopher, “I have heard that the etiquette between a man and a woman does not apply in their private room. But I lately have been too casual, and when my husband saw me

In both the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire, women were seen as delicate figures and had limited political freedom. Women in Han China were required to be accompanied and led by a male, whether

Women were divided in to two groups, those of wives and those of non-wives. The wives group included both current wives and those with potential as future wives. The non-wives group was subdivided into further groups. Women who lived in brothels were treated much as slaves with little freedom. Some non-wives offered their services on the streets, and could barter prices with customers but were required to wear certain garments to ensure they were recognized in public places. A more desirable role of the non-wives is the hetera. This woman, more than an object, was capable of entertaining the men. They were often sought out to entertain the men during Symposiums with conversation, songs, and music. These women could become self sustaining and own homes and live life as they pleased. Concubine women enjoyed perhaps the most beneficial lives as kept mistresses of men. They were provided homes and cared for by primarily one man. Women were used at the disposal of men and their whims throughout the society.

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

The Qin court gained control and established the Qin family. King Cheng called himself Qin Shi Huangdi and that means "the first emperor of Qin. " In order to strengthen their empire, the priority of authority and standardization of the different peoples they conquered was one of their priorities 4) Document 4: Women had very different roles in early China. Chinese women could not hold government posts. However, women in the royal court could influence government decisions.

Women weren’t treated greatly at all; they had hardly any rights where as men had many that women had no say in. One rule that was truly unfair was that a man could order any women to do anything he wanted. Women could not get an education because Confucius thought women didn’t need it. All they needed to know was how to cook clean and look after kids. They basically had no rights or privileges; they didn’t even get choice on who they would be spending the rest of their life with. There were some strict rules regarding marriage. Firstly Women didn’t get a say in who the married because it was worked our by a family member of the spouse, they had to marry a guy who was at least a few years older than him and they had to know less than him,

Women were considered inferior to their husbands and were expected to be obedient to them. According to Mencius, one of Confucius’ most important follower who spread the teachings of Confucianism, “When a daughter marries, her mother instructs her. Sending her off at the gate, she cautions her, saying, ‘When you go to your family, you must be respectful, and you must be cautious. Do not disobey your husband.’ To regard obedience as proper is the Way of a wife or concubine.”

Women constituted the majority of early African slaves. In addition to agricultural work, female slaves carried out other economic functions, such as trading and cotton spinning and dyeing. They also performed domestic chores, such as preparing food, washing clothes, and cleaning. Powerful African men kept female slaves as wives or concubines, and in many societies these women stood as symbols of male wealth. Male slaves typically farmed and herded animals. Those who belonged to wealthy families and especially of ruling lineages of states also worked as porters and rowers, and learned crafts such as weaving, construction, and metalwork. Domestic slaves worked for the royal families, some male, and fewer female, slaves held positions of high status and trust within their societies. In pre-colonial states in the interior of West and Central Africa, slaves often served as soldiers and confidants of high officials. With their necessarily limited ambitions and

One of the integral parts of Chinese culture that was not thoroughly discussed in class is the role Chinese women played in ancient traditional society and how it has transformed in the many historical changes is the way of life in china. I aim to speak on women in ancient times, women at the end of feudal society as well as the role of women in present day China.