I believe that it was not good to be a woman in imperial China because all women had to have their feet bound at about the age of 5. Their toes were broken and bandages were tightly bound around the foot to pull the toes back and restrict their growth. It became fashionable as small feet were considered to be a mark of exceptional beauty. It was initially take up by court dancers as a way of performing light steps. The process was excruciatingly painful and prevented women from being active. This put a lot of pressure on poor women who had to work on the fields with their bound feet though river women were never foot bound.
Furthermore, I also believe that life as a woman in imperial China was not good because marriages were arranged for them. As a woman’s thoughts were not considered important, the parents’ word was final on who their daughter would marry. Once married, the woman transfers her loyalty to her in-laws and may never see her parents again. She would be required to obey all the members of the family and would take on the responsibility for her children and her grandchildren.
There was also a culture where a wife would gain more respect in her husband’s family if she gave birth to a boy. If families were very poor, they would sell their daughters as servants to rich families. Sometimes, if a wife did not give birth to a son, her husband would take other wives.
On the contrary, though life was harsh as a woman in Imperial China, there were also advantages to be a woman in that period of time.
If a woman were to bear a son for her family, members of her family would respect her more. A woman who bore a son would be pampered with extravagant clothing and jewellery. Additionally, women were also interpreted as strong and independent characters in many novels and operas. For example, Mulan, and Zhang Liao.
Another reason why I think it was good to be a woman in imperial China is that most women were also free off work. Tasks such as preparing food, cleaning and looking after children were the norm for the majority of women in ancient China.
According to the evidence above, I think it was not good to be a woman in Imperial China. Reason because they were punished and treated like slaves. They had no freedom and rights and were looked down upon by others. Despite the positive points above, life as a woman then was definitely not all rainbows and butterflies.
