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What Is Confucian Influence Of Women's Role In The Tang Society

Decent Essays

Oftentimes, religion can have the most impact on societal rules, especially concerning gender roles. In John McKay’s A History of World Societies, McKay explains how Confucianism was highly promoted in the Han Dynasty (McKay 178). It became an essential component within education and the government made sure to recruit officials who were well educated on Confucian principles (McKay 178). In doing so, the spread of its ideologies throughout the Chinese society was facilitated. However, an emphasis on men poses an interesting question. How does the set of Confucian principles influence the way women were perceived and treated throughout Han to Tang society? Although Empress Wu became the first female ruler in China during the Tang dynasty, women from Han to Tang China were considered inferior to men due to Confucian teachings. By stressing the importance of humility, instructing women to obey men, and supporting the spread of these ideologies through …show more content…

Topic sentence. For example, in Lessons for Women: Instructions in Seven Chapters for a Woman’s Ordinary Way of Life in the First Century C.E., written by popular ancient Chinese female writer Pan Chao, the importance of a girl’s humility was explained through traditional practices. Pan Chao discussed how new parents should “lay the baby below the bed plainly indicated that she is lowly and weak, and should regard it as her primary duty to humble herself before others” (Pan Chao 535). This was meant to represent her status as weak which signified her humility towards others. Doing so created the basis for their way of life. As a female baby born into Confucianism, they didn’t have a say in whether this practice should be different. The inability to protest against the

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