Socio-economic Status Of Women In The Yuan Dynasty

The concept that man were superior to women was a precise orientation between man and women in Chinese acient society. Without question, this substantive partly ref elects historical reality, but in feudal self-sufficient small-seale peasant economy women played an important role in economic production and life. Their economic and social status were not same in different time because of the influence from many factors.This thesis espounds the change of women's social and economic status in Yuan Dynasty. I expound this issue form three aspects according to the different national customs because Yuan Dynasty was ruled by the north national mi ority-Mongol.The frist part expounds Han women's social and economic status in Yuan Dynaty. In Yuan Mongol Period, Han women were received "needlework" education that mai ly was spinning and weaving. Women were important support in family economics as well as chief sources of state finance. They possessed property by getting dowry, inheriting or managing husband' s fami ly and so on. Their economic status had some difference because of their important roles in economic I ife and the change of thei r figure, so we can't simply generalize their status as inferiority , but it was upper.The second part expounds Mongol ian women's social and economic status. Mongol ian nomadic life determined that Mongolian women coundn't be excluded form social prdouction and life. Their roles in social Iife were expecially important , so their inheritance fanstion of property were more than Han women' s. Thei r Soci a I and economic status, like bolangjiabin said:"All women had great power in family."The third part expounds the marriages customs of the Monglian Its have not the difference with the others Dynasty, but its have the particular of the marriage and dowry, marr iage of the shouj i and zhuixu , intermarr iage of Mongl ia and Han peoples, divorce and remarry and so on. The dowry of the women of Mongl ian is a good many. The marriage ofzhuixu and shouji is prevai I in the Yuan Dynasty by influence of customs. It crushed the limit of the civilization of the ancien tradition, and embodied the difference of the Han Peop i es. i n the same t i me, it embodied the amagamat ion. in the marr iage, it reflected the manifold of amagamation in the Monglia and Han peoples, in the divorce and remarry, the womens Yuan Dynasty taked the much freedom. These was the assist to improved the socal and economys status of Yuan Dynasty women.In Yuan Dyansty Han and Mongol ia women's roles did not have great difference in fami ly economics. But due to national tradition, class rule and so on, Mongol ia women had higher status than Han women. Their contribulation to family determined high or low of their economic status. High or low of their economic status partly affected their social status, in turn their social status affect their economic status.