Womens Role In Confucianism And Taoism, Within The Patriarchal Society Of China

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Women’s Role in Confucianism and Taoism, Within the Patriarchal Society of China

China is an extremely patriarchal society. The female is generally viewed as weak, dark, and subservient whereas the male is viewed as strong, hot, and dominant. Confucianism encourages this patriarchal society by placing the woman in a servant-like role. Contrary to Confucianism, Taoism places the woman in a mysterious, natural form. Although Confucianism and Taoism have opposing views of woman, they also have some similar ideologies.
Confucianism describes the relationship between husband and wife to be a master/servant relationship. The male’s role is to protect his wife while the wife’s role is to serve her husband. Confucians live in a partilocal society where the wife moves into the husbands’ home. The wife is to practice selfless virtue and serve her husband. “Let a woman modestly yield to others; let her respect others, let her put others first, herself last. Should she do something good, let her not mention it; should she do something bad, let her not deny it. Let her bear disgrace; let her even endure when others speak or do evil to her. Always let her seem to tremble and to fear.” (EWBR 193)Contrastingly, in Taoism’s Tao te ching, the female versus male roles are to be an equality of opposites. There is harmony amongst the sexes. There should be balance, not victory over each other. The two sides depend on each other for existence; there is complimentary dualism. The woman is viewed as positive, the essence of creativeness and potentiality for the eternal.
Although very opposite in the roles of women in society, Confucianism and Taoism have similar general views of women. The woman is looked at as weak and soft and is associated with the earth where the male is strong and hard and is associated with heaven. These views are analogous yet the meanings behind them are very different. In Confucianism, the Ear...