Confucianism and it's role in gender inequality: 5-6th century

     During the 5th and 6th century of China, the philosophy known as Confucianism influenced China's views of gender roles and inequality. Confucianism sought to bring about social harmony across China thorough moral example rather than punishment. Acknowledging the value of superiors and unequal relationships, Confucianism's foundation is that of a hierarchy. Valuing education in order to better one's moral character as well as family, which is a center to Chinese culture, Confucianism also boasted inequality for women. "Hierarchical understanding of the cosmos in which an inferior and receptive earth was in balance with the superior and creative principle of Heaven. But these were gendered concepts, with Heaven associated with things male and earth with those female." (Ways of the World pg 150) Education was valued for all, but for different reasons. A female writer Ban Zhao wrote in Lessons of Women that this need for education for girls was not due to their equality to the boys, but rather as to serve her husband properly. The idea of "wen and wu," virtues taught by Confucianism which consisted of traits like literary abilities and physical achievements, was limited to only males. Thus, politics were run by only men. Society was also patriarchal in the household where the wife was a subordinate to the husband. As you can imagine, this limited greatly the role women could have within society as well as their rights.

Founder of Confucianism, Confucius