Women In Classical China

Women in Classical Greece and Women in Ancient China

Classical Greece (2100 BC – AD 500) and Ancient China (350 BC – AD 600) were two of the most influential and important civilizations of all time. However, the topic of how these two societies treated women is often disregarded in favor of talking about things like their many technological advancements and cultural achievements. While the great accomplishments of these civilizations should of course not be overlooked, it is also necessary to discuss how women were terribly oppressed in both cultures. Women were horribly mistreated in both civilizations, but they may have had it worse in China than in Greece as they were much likelier to be abandoned at birth and while in Greece women were
All women were expected to marry and once they were married, they were under the complete authority of their husbands. Similarly, in China, women were married off at a young age and their fathers had final say on the marriage. Their loyalties would then lie with the families of their husbands instead of their fathers. Also, in China, if a woman failed to give birth to a son, her husband might take other wives (Ancient China). And after her husband died, a widow could never remarry. Furthermore, in both civilizations, women could not divorce their husbands without a mutual agreement. Women’s role in both of these societies was focused on the home and the children. In Greece, women took care of their children and passed the time by doing wool-work, weaving, or gardening. They were discouraged from communicating with men outside their family and they mainly stayed in the home most of the day. Chinese women’s lives were also focused on the raising of their children, but they were permitted to get simple jobs such as spinning, weaving, or sewing. While there were women who worked in Ancient Greece, such as shopkeepers, weavers, or prostitutes, for the most part female members of citizen families did not have paying jobs. Women in China could not enter into government service or own land. Likewise, women in Greece could not own or inherit land and they could not vote either. Unlike in
One thing that could have influenced women’s roles in society is the philosophy and the religion of the time. The religion of a society can dictate everything about people’s everyday lives, from what they wear, to what food they eat. Moreover, religion can especially influence how people treat and perceive others. The main religion of Ancient Greece at the time was the polytheistic Greek mythology that revolved around the twelve major Olympian gods and goddesses. While women did have a strong presence in the mythology with some of the most prominent gods being goddesses, such as Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens, the women in Greek myths were often very archaic stereotypes. They were usually either trying to stir up trouble for the male heroes or they were undyingly loyal to their husbands. “Myths and literature abound with female characters trying their best to derail the plans of male heroes, from the supreme witch Medea to the deadly, if lovely, Sirens. They can also be represented as ruled only by wild passion and ecstatic emotion such as the Maenads. In contrast, the ideal chaste woman loyal to her absent husband is epitomized by Penelope in Homer’s Odyssey” (Cartwright). Besides religion, another thing that greatly influenced society’s thinking was the philosophy of the time. In Greece, the most notable philosophers were