What did Chinese women in the classical age have the right to do?

Women were legally subordinated to fathers and husbands at all class levels. In the classical ages, Chinese women did not enjoy any form of social or political status. Women were treated in an ill manner, and they were socially segregated. Chinese women in the classical ages were legally subordinated to their fathers and their husbands at all class levels.

The social and political structures were male-dominated as they favored men over women. Women’s roles revolved around household duties and motherhood. Many policies prevented women from holding offices and acquiring properties. The feudal system at the time determined the role of women in society. Female children were seen as less valuable than male children. A woman is made to be dependent on her father, followed by her husband and then her adult son.

Women in ancient China were legally subordinated to fathers and husbands at all class levels. In traditional China, there was a strict division of the sexes. Some policies prevented women from owning property, taking examinations, or holding office. Their restriction of women prompted the development of female-specific occupations. A women's most essential virtues were respect and compliance.

Female and male social roles were determined by a strict feudal hierarchy. (Zhou dynasty). Male children were always preferred because female children were seen as being less valuable to the family. The women were expected to first bend to the will of their father, then her husband, and then her adult son. Upon the union of marriage, women had to live with their husband's family and treat his parents as if they were her own.