Research On Women's Rights In Nanbu County In The Late Qing Dynasty

Nanbu County is located in the north of Sichuan,with mountains in its territory.The Qing Dynasty was dominated by an economic structure that focused on agriculture and salt.In the early Qing Dynasty,immigrants from other provinces moved in,which further developed Nanbu County.In the Qing dynasty,the magistrates of Nanbu County actively controlled the county and still maintains a large number of archives.The materials in the Southern Archives are mainly concentrated in the late Qing Dynasty.In addition to external factors such as damage and loss,the poor people in the early Qing Dynasty and their avoidance of lawsuits were also one of the reasons.In addition,since the Daoguang Dynasty,there have been a large number of cases in the county petitions that have been mediated by the society and re-opened to yamen,which is also a manifestation of the weakening of the impact of the local mediation system.Women in Nanbu county have certain civil litigation rights.The large number of women's complaints is the awakening of women's self-awareness.Among them,the governance of local government,the absence of male parents,and the false accusations of female "daughters punish" by other people have indirectly led to the emergence of consciousness.The southern county decree's preference for light punishment and protection of the women involved in the case is not only the embodiment of women's right to sue,but also validates Shiga's argument that the local state and county's case is more reasonable.Women in Nanbu county have some autonomy in the process of marriage.Although the county's marriage is popular,there are still some women who realize their own autonomy in marriage by asking for remarriage,recruiting a son,or even asking for a monk.On the one hand,due to the influence of Western thought,some women are able to fight for marital autonomy;on the other hand,women's marital autonomy is restricted due to the constraints of ritual ethics and the benefits of marriage.Overall,their autonomy is extremely contradictory.Economic factors have always affected their autonomous behavior,while clan kinsmen encourage them tokeep the festival while marrying them for profit.Women in Nanbu county have certain rights to sanction their families,especially dominated by widows.It can be seen from the archives that women's sanctions are mainly manifested in two aspects,such as buying and selling farms and houses,and presiding over separation.At the same time,the government also supports women's property rights.Women with different statuses have different levels of sanctions.Generally speaking,unmarried women have small rights;widows have the right to sign economic contracts on their own,and they have the right to inherit their husband's property;widows have the most rights in the process of disposing of property.In addition,whether the regional economy is developed is not the only criterion for measuring women's right to dispose of property.Compared with wealthy areas,women in Nanbu County also have certain property rights,and this right depends on whether the woman has parental rights in family life.