The Increasing Social Status Of Women In The Sung Dynasty

In the Sung dynasty, women were more appreciated, but they were still viewed as items or objects to their male spouse. Typically, women were married to families are of the same social status or of a higher social status. It was common for women to be married at a young age. They were usually married off between the ages of 14-18. If women were past the age of 18 or 20 and were still unmarried, it was regarded as too late. Men were usually married later in life and it was also common for the grooms to be younger than the brides in some circumstances. This could be avoided by marriages that start between families agreeing to marry their children to each other. It would be known as a union between the families. Marriage was seen as a marriage between families and not just the wife and husband. If there was no previous promise or if a family cannot find a suitor, there are matchmakers that can set up a marriage between two families. It was also important that marriages had to make sure that both the bride and groom do not possess the same surname or last name. This would give peace to the daughter’s family if she was “given” to a good family. In other words, women were always leaving her natal household and joining the husband’s family. She was most likely to be “welcomed home” instead of a labeled “new member.” She would be an …show more content…
Daughters were viewed as being more expensive and less desirable because the dowries that she must possess can be costly and she will ultimately leave the family. This would give a chance for the mothers to be pregnant repeatedly. The primary wife would usually be the ones that cared for the young. If she did not, the family would have wet nurses that took the infant outside the city to care for them in a healthy environment. It was also important for mothers to continuously perform mourning rituals to the ancestors to ensure a healthy