Patriarchy In The Song Dynasty

Patriarchy has dominated human society for centuries, never ceasing to impact the lives of men and women all over the world, manifesting itself in current society and societies to come. Patriarchy is a social system that values masculinity over femininity and dictates that men are entitled to be in charge and dominate woman. Many believe that patriarchy only existed a long time ago, the times when women were seen as property and could not stand up for themselves, but the truth is that patriarchy is currently thriving throughout the world. Patriarchy is reflected in pay gaps, in the workplace, in parenting, and in education. Patriarchy has decreased in the severity throughout the years and I project it to continue a slight downfall for the rest
Between the Song and Tang dynasties, a fad of small feet arose, and from then the act of footbinding became more and more common in the elite class. As the prosperity of the elite class grew, more numbers of women became concubines, prostitutes, and entertainers. Because of the easy accessibility to those women, negotiating as equals between husband and wives was reduced, setting women against each other and creating jealousy within the
Earlier, women were given control over their properties, marraige was considered a contract between two consenting parties, and women could sue for divorce, but as Islamic civilization flourished culturally and economy growing restrictions were set upon women. Originally women could pray in mosques, although they separate from the men, not veiled or secluded, but as the empire grew so did the limitations on women. Now veiling and seclusion became a standard practice within the elite. Women faced multiple restrictions and harm due to the overwhelming patriarchal limitations. Some of these limits are still seen today.
Many may think that patriarchy only existed a long time ago, in the times where women were seen as property, where they were sold and traded as commodities, where things such as foot binding existed, but the truth is patriarchy is still alive and well in today’s society. Today, patriarchy has manifested its casual ways into society, tending to go unnoticed by the