Lessons For Girls Ban Zhoa Analysis

Patriarchy in China refers to the system by which a generation of older men dominate all aspects of life for younger women and even younger men. The Chinese family system has widely been considered to be patriarchal, and the male head of household was given authority over almost every decision within the home. Some of these responsibilities included complete ownership of property, assignment of labor to the younger members of the household, make monetary transactions, and inflict punishments upon those in the household. Some patriarchs passed on the economic duties to their wives, but these transactions were traditional for the men to complete. These patrilineal roots set the foundation for a truly patriarchal Chinese family system. This patriarchy

The cultural aspect that showed the most separation between genders was religion. In Confucian belief, women were the lowest half of the household, and different social behaviors were expected for them. In the book Lessons for Girls by Ban Zhoa, women were told how to act. One of these lessons tells a woman that she must “yield to others; let her put others first, herself last” (Reese). This shows how women were considered to be lesser than men in Confucian culture. Tighter restrictions on women were brought with the introduction of Neo Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. The feet of women were bound in order for them to maintain subservience and beauty, societal rules that required widow chastity and husband worship were introduced, and daughters were sold for being “unwanted.” These gender differences in the Confucian belief clearly portray women as being on the lower end. However, Chinese Buddhists gave women some empowerment by allowing them to go on pilgrimages, give lectures, and lead religious groups. In Buddhist society, women had higher status and more freedom. Differences between genders in Chinese society can also be symbolized with the Yin-yang Taoist emblem. The dark half of the symbol shows a peaceful and yielding aspect of female life, while the white half shows the aggressive and bold nature of male life. Different traits were expected of different genders, and men usually ended up on

The lineage of family in China is of primary importance. Chinese women have had an obvious disadvantage to men socially. For example, in the traditional family structure, men were considered to be full members of their birth families for life and were expected to care for their parents economically. This was considered to be “payment” for everything that the parents have done for the son, and men were expected to care for their parents until they die. Chinese women, however, were considered to only be temporary members of their birth families until they were married. After marriage, a woman joined the family of her husband. Because of this, daughters were sometimes treated badly before marriage and forced to do more work and labor than the sons. They also did not receive the education that benefited the men both socially and economically. In contemporary times, women’s social and economic statuses have risen. Although women continue to receive less secondary education than men, the gap between the gender has decreased. The Chinese patriarchy of older times has disappeared, and women are treated better and receive better education, but the impact of the traditional treatment of women has not entirely disappeared. Chinese women still fight today to be completely equal, both socially and economically, just like American