Women In Early Confucianism

Since the beginning of early Confucianism, women in early China suffered oppression. Unfortunately, the religion holds much responsibility for the sexism. Confucius’s answers for the Chinese people’s way of living consisted of sexual discrimination and segregation towards females. Women in China were urged to meet the expectations outlined in Confucian ideals. Such concepts were mainly limited to the men. Thus, Confucianism defined gender expectations. Confucianism stimulated the inequality of women in Chinese culture.

Men and women in early China were separated by the idea of the Yin and Yang cosmic forces. These forces are complementary to each other. However they are hierarchical. Consequently, they lead to oppression. With the aspect

of the Yin and Yang forces, men and women are believed to be “different as heaven and earth.” Heaven(the men) is seen as above and earth (the women) below. Moreover, women are to embrace men in high regard. Ban Zhao states in her Confucian moralistic book, Lessons for Women, "A woman should look on her husband as if he were Heaven itself, and never weary of thinking how she may yield to him.” As stated by her work, woman are to be submissive to authority. Both genders are assigned a role and conventional image according to this belief. Confucius believed that sexual segregation is necessary for social harmony. The Ying and Yang provides for a relationship to be obviously unequal. Therefore, the inequality of women is supported by Confucianism.
Another aspect of Confucianism corresponds to the oppression of women in early China.

In early Chinese society, men and women were divided into two spheres, known as the Nei-Wai. This simply means the inner and outer separation of the sexes in everyday life. The Wai sphere corresponds to the literary realm whereas the Nei sphere pertains to the housework duties. The outer sphere (Wai) represents the public and social life, which men are assigned. The inner sphere (Nei), or domestic, corresponds to the women. While the men have all the power to be employed, hold public offices, and handle social affairs, women are expected to handle the domestic affairs. According to the Nei-Wai, women are not permitted to engage in the social sphere. If a woman become literate, she crossed roles of the inner, domestic sphere and outer, social sphere. Such an occurrence disturbs the equilibrium of the confucian social roles and norms. Therefore, she must conceal her literary talents to prevent social chaos. The feature of Nei-Wei in Confucianism explicitly states the oppression of

women.
Confucian ethics promote the hierarchy of relationships, called the Three Bonds. Accordingly, relationships are constructed into three bonds. The first bond being the ruler over the minister. The second, the father over the son and the last being the husband over the wife. Hence, the wife is placed on the lower end of the relationship scale. Confucianism believes if the Three Bonds are successful, the world will be in peace; if not, it will result in shambles. Thus men must maintain the patriarchal relationship to achieve order in society.With that being said, the confucian belief of the Three Bonds produces the atmosphere of oppression for women in early China.
In Confucian ideals, women were obligated to have four qualifications. According to Ban Zhao’s Lessons for Women, a woman must have: (1) womanly virtue, (2) womanly words (3) womanly bearing and (4) womanly work. Without these qualifications, a woman cannot afford to be a part of society. If the all qualifications are not met, she is deemed an unworthy woman. Thus, causing her to descend lower than her original rank. These womanly qualifications in Confucianism ideals were oppressing to women in early China.
Outlined by Confucianism, women are expected to comply with the expectations of their familial relationships. Women must be soft to the husband. Whereas, he must be tough and firm. She must also listen carefully and obey his commands. Her husband shall be treated as a guest in her home. By living by Confucian ethics, she is virtually taking care of her authoritative husband. Conforming to the culture of the time, the family lived with the husband’s parents. The wife must submit herself to her in-laws orders. She must be at their beckoning call. The wife must also avoid looking her father-in-law in the eye. By doing so, she is disrespecting his authority. In the household, the woman is required to instruct and raise the children. The responsibility lies entirely on her. Since every household is expected to run this way, inequality is common throughout early China. The rules and ways of the confucian practice condone the oppression of women.
Women in China were given instructions on how to live in society since they were young children.

Confucian beliefs dictated how the children were raised according to their gender. At the time of a girl’s birth, she is placed below the bed and given a piece of broken pottery. As a female, being placed beneath the bed signifies her low rank. The piece of pottery symbolizes her duty to practice house labors and primary duties. Later in their childhood, girls were expected to stay behind in the women’s quarters and were forbidden to go out often. From their young age, they were also taught not to disrespect authority; the authority being a male. This emphasizes the patriarchal hierarchy of

confucianism.
Confucianist ideals also instructed how females were to carry out their daily housework. This ideal implies that the woman's work is only in her husband’s house. In accordance to these ideals, the woman must wake early and begin her chores. Waking up early is suggested if she aspires to complete all of her work by the end of the day. If she does not do so, she is considered a lazy woman in society. Additionally, a wife shall not wake late when the sun is in the high sky. Confucian ways consider this to be an act of laziness and describes her as a humiliation. Thus she is an embarrassment to her family and parents-in-laws. Confucianism dictates how a woman should live her domestic life. Seeing that men are not responsible for any household work, the woman are assumed to hold a weak position. Therefore, she is subjugated to stay in her unequal role in society. Consequently, there is no gender equality in domestic affairs.
Confucianism concepts also influence the actions of women. A woman must watch her tongue and behaviors. Women are subjected to abide by Confucian morals and values. For instance, she is to carefully choose her words and avoid fowl language. Furthermore, she must exhibit modesty at all times. A woman is also expected to guard her chastity and behave as so. Contrary to the female ideals, men do not have a rulebook of behaviors and standards. Hence, men are held in higher regard, developing oppression of females.
In compliance to Confucian codes, women in early China lived with daily sexism. Their lives were controlled and instructed under the power of the ideals of Confucianism. The religion dictated the women to be submissive to men as well as her In-Laws. Everyday Confucian rituals illustrated the misogyny endured by the women at the time.