Han Dynasty Gender Roles

Throughout our ancient history, women have portrayed various different roles in different ancient civilizations. Whether it was taking care of their children and men at home, working in the fields, or doing hard labor, these women shaped the way women act, and the roles they portray today. The Han Dynasty was one of those ancient civilization where women portrayed different roles. During the Han Dynasty, which lasted from about 206 BCE to 220 CE, women led very limited lives as compared to men, similarly to many other ancient civilizations (Bowman). They were viewed as the bottom of the power hierarchy in addition to the gender hierarchy. Women were always required to obey men throughout their entire life. When they were young they needed to obey their fathers, then their husbands, and eventually, their adult sons. This idea of male superiority partially came from Confucianism, a very influential Chinese philosophy during this time. The ideal, traditional woman was expected to follow the teachings of The Three Obediences, an ancient

Though some women were treated better than others, most of those women were from wealthy families or were relatives of emperors. Women who weren’t from noble families, which was majority of the population, were required to follow a set of strict, unfair rules and look a certain way. They hardly had any say in who they married, and they were forced to marry at a very young age. The Han women were neglected of their education, and in the situations where wealthy women could, their received a different education than men. They learned about how to be good mothers and wives instead of learning skills for jobs, which completely restricted them from outside job opportunities. Women have always struggled with equality throughout our global history, and the Han Dynasty is a great example of this