|
Daily Life: Urban
Women in the domestic sphere
The Tokugawa shogunate (government) held Neo-Confucianism as their official ideology. Neo-Confucianism is a philosophy that is based on Chinese Confucianism and stresses the importance of hierarchy, loyalty, harmony, and discipline. The emphasis on hierarchy can be seen in both the Tokugawa class system as well as the ideal family unit. The ideal Confucian family is a patriarchy, meaning that women were expected to be subservient first to their fathers, later to their husbands, and finally to their sons. Because they were expected to set the standards of proper behavior, women in the upper class seldom worked outside the home and instead spent their time managing household affairs or pursuing leisure activities such as writing poetry and learning traditional arts. However, as one descended the social ladder, the rules were somewhat relaxed and merchant class women often played an important role as bookkeepers and shop hands for the family business.
Continue >>
|
|
