Women of the Ming Dynasty: Scholars, Empresses, and Innovators

In the family, women were primarily valued for their roles as daughters, wives, and mothers. Their primary function was to maintain the household, produce heirs, and ensure the continuity of family lineage. The Confucian concept of “three obediences” dictated that a woman must obey her father in her youth, her husband in marriage, and her sons in old age. This hierarchical structure reinforced a woman's dependence on male family members throughout her life.

While the family was central to a woman’s role in society, marriage was another defining aspect of her life. Marriages were often arranged by parents, and the bride had little say in the choice of her husband. This practice was deeply embedded in the Confucian social order, which valued family alliances over individual desires. Women were expected to fulfill their duties within the marriage, maintaining the household and raising children, with little opportunity for personal ambition or career aspirations.