h
\The role of women
and their hairstyles throught the dynastys
The role of women
and foot binding
Women were deprived of all rights and were present mainly to serve men. Women served as slaves, concubines, and prostitutes.
Beginning around the 11th century, feet binding became a tradition. The practice of foot binding began in the Tang Dynasty.
When a girl became 3 or 4 years old, the mother tightly wrapped her daughter's feet in bandages with her toes tucked under the soles. On top of this extreme pain, the bandages would be tightened every day.
It was preferred that the foot was 3 inches in length.
In order to bind their feet, their toes were broken first, then curled under their soles.
Women weren't considered suitable for marriage if their feet weren't bound.
When Mao Tse-tsung took power in 1949, the practice of foot binding became almost obsolete. He wanted to inforce gender equality so China could become a world power. Husbands were no longer allowed to abuse their wives, use concubines, or prostitutes. Marriages could no longer be arranged, wives without bound feet were encouraged, and divorce was easier to obtain. Both sexes were forced to wear the same gender clothing. These changes gave women a sense of self- confidence.
Women were encouraged to join the work force, become a communist official, and pursue educational oppurtunities.
Before, women were considered under second class, so this change for women was a big step for them.
In the eighteenth century,women were so inferior that they were sometimes considered less useful than farm animals.
Foot binding was done so early in a girls life so the arch wouldn't have enough time to fully devlope.The girls mother bound her feet, and usually starteed the process during fall or winter so the foot would be numb. This would lessen the extreme amount of pain.Then the mother would soak the girls feet in warm water or animal blood with herbs. This would cause dead flesh to fall off. Then the girl was given a foot message, after which her four smallest were broken. Her foot was then wrapped in silk bandages that were ten feet long and two inches wide. This was continued for at least ten years.
The Land Reform Law of the early 1950s provided rural women with an equal share of land under their own name;therefore, protecting their economic independence.In the early 1950s the Chinese Constitution stated that womne enjoyed equal rights with men in political, economic, social culture, and family life Confucius preached women's inferiority to men.
3 obediences:obey her father before marriage, her husband after marriage, and her son after her husband's death. 4 virtues: she be chaste, her conversion courteous and not gossipy, her deportment graceful but not extravagent, her leisure spent in perfecting needlework and tapestry for beautifying.
Before the Eighteenth century, Chinese women were honored if they commited suicide after their husband's deaths.
