Chinese Married Women

Traditional Chinese women are very different from those women in today’s society. Chinese wedding has become custom during the Warring States period.

During the traditional times, women did not have many rights, and especially the rights to marry the one she loves. Marriages were often made by the man of the house, “the father”. Many marriages where arrange when the child was young or arrange when they reach a marriage of around their early teenage years. All of these young brides would not have met or seen their husband until the night of the marriage.

Once a girl is married they would change their appearance. There hair would be tied up in a bun symbolizing that they are longer a single girl. After a women married they would live with her husband’s family and stay at home and often would not return to their own family unless on special occasions. Those wives would be under the authority of their mother-in-law. Such arrangements make it easier for the senior generation to set the tone in child- rearing practices, religious and economic activities and so on. If they marry early they would generally have more children.

A married woman would have no say in the family’s running. They are not allow to divorce their husband, but there husband can divorce them. If this happens, the women would be a disgrace to the family and their village. If the husband dies, they are not to remarried, but to stay as a widow for the rest of her live. The role of a woman in the Chinese culture is once married is they are to be very faithful to their husband. If they do engage in an affair, both the woman and the other party would be sentence to death by drowning.

Today, Chinese marriage traditions have been simplified and of course the roles of a married woman in the family and society have change to be more like their western counterparts. Women are now able to have equaled says in the family and society. They are no longer required to stay home and looking after their children. They can choose to divorce or remarried as they wish.