Research Of The Status Of The Female Gender In The Pre-qin Period

The status of the female gender is a complicated problem. It hasn't been scientifically resolved because of few historical materials and some defaults in the theory and methodology. Therefore the research on this problem has both theoretical and practical meanings. Being formed gradually in history, this problem was the result of the interaction between various. The status of the female gender should be researched as a cultural phenomenon, through which we could find out the cultural elements that determined the status. This new methodology avoids the simple description of the traditional methods, and embodies more flexibility. The status of the female gender is a worldwide problem, so it could be more clear and easy to understand when researched in the wide view-field of world cultures. As half of the sky, the status of the female is closely connected with the male's. It is the historical and whole method to analyze the status of the female in the comparison with the male's.This article covers five parts:Part I : The preface. It reviews the previous researches, pointing out their defaults and raising the problems. Also it introduces the principal viewpoints and the research method.Part II: This part analyses the three issues during the previous research. It points out that: Firstly, matrilineal and matriarchy are two different concepts. The status of the female isn't necessarily high in the matrilineal society. There isn't inevitable relationship between matrilineal and matriarchy. Secondly, the status of women isn't inevitably determined by their practical function in the economic activities. The worship of the goddess doesn't indicate that the female has high status.Part III: This part analysis the disparity between the genders from the tribe societies to the civilized societies. From the point of social control, it analysis the catalytic function of some cultural elements, including residential models, gender characteristics in witchcraft, taboo towards the female, gender characteristics in warfare,the political society founded by the male. It was such elements that led to the different status between the genders.Part IV: This part analyzes the various cultural elements that restrain the status of the female in the mature civilized society. Based on the, it involves the cultural elements such as "men in charge of the outside and women the inside", "valuing the male", "women not intervening in the politics", and so on. Part V: This part summarizes the article, putting forward to the thinking over the female status nowadays.