Confucianism and Women Term Paper

Total Length: 358 words ( 1 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Confucianism's Impact Upon The Status Of Women In China

Confucianism was not an openly misogynistic or anti-woman system of thought. It did not post women as 'the devil's gateway' as did some philosophical strains of Early Christianity, for instance. However, Confucianism was a patriarchal system of ancestor worship that emphasized respect of one's past progenitors and how things used to be, rather than attempting to creatively change the future. Thus change was de-emphasized, minimizing the ability of women to institute change within pre-existing patriarchic family structures. Male control was reinforced by the system of thought, rather than creating ideological support for change.


Confucianism placed a strong stress upon the difference between the sexes. Crucial to Confucian ideology was the distinction between yin and yang, or the female and male principles inherent in the world. Thus, femaleness and maleness was not simply a matter of physicality, but of essential compositional essence to the natural framework of the heavens and earth. The female principle of yin was associated with passivity, darkness, and receptivity, in contrast to the active, male principle of….....

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