From Marriage, Family Status Of Women In The Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty was the forming period of china's multinational culture, which inherited much from Prior –Qin, left much for Wei and Jin Dynasty and this became a junction of the old and new systems. Women in Han Dynasty enjoy a high status in their every life: they had comparatively more freedom in marriage, which meant that they could choose their husbands, obtain divorces, or remarry according to their own will; in the family, husband and wife live in harmony with each other, children could follow their mother's surname, and married women remained a close relationship with their original families and could still get their protection; in the society, women also had a high status, which meant that they could be recognized as an independent householder, be conferred a title of nobility, inherit property, play a role in politics, and enjoy the almost same education opportunities with men. women's status in Han Dynasty has a peculiar characteristic belong to that special period。This article researches on the following points:First,it makes a general statement about the women's status in both Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods. Women was confined by the ritual regulation and thus had a comparatively humble status in their family lives. At the same time, under the influence of the customs, women enjoyed a comparatively free relationship with men.Second,this thesis describes the women's status in Han Dynasty. It elaborates on the high status that women in Han Dynasty enjoyed from the aspects of marriage, family status and social identification. Third, this thesis analyses the reasons for women's high status in Han Dynasty from the aspects of economics, self-consciousness and social concepts.In essence, Han Dynasty's economic development, the comparatively enlightened feudal political system and the free social custom influenced by China's ancient history provided a characteristic social stage for women in this dynasty. The marriage and family concepts shared by women in Han Dynasty is still an interesting topic for us up to now. By analyzing those women's living souls, we should abandon the previous simple and arbitrary viewing point and we can not simplify the status and living conditions of the women in ancient China by using the formulaic words such as "oppressed"; "exploited" and so on. Han Dynasty is a watershed for the vicissitudes of women's status in ancient China. After Han Dynasty, women's status declined step by step and women became men's appendage and family servants in the end.