Mongolian and Chinese Women

Madelyn Hawkins

A long time ago, during the thirteenth century, women were viewed very differently from the way they are now. Two societies, Mongols and Chinese, had various similarities and differences.

Women have not always been viewed as equals to men but in the Mongol Empire women were. In this empire women were viewed as equal due to the large amounts of housework and childcare they had to do.

Mongolians were nomads, meaning they moved a lot. In the empire the role of women was crucial to the survival of the empire, because women were responsible for packing up and moving the community.

Women in the Mongol Empire had many different responsibilities such as, milking animals, making dairy products, cooking, washing and sewing. In the empire, these were big responsibilities, that is why women were not looked down upon.

Since women were responsible for the moment of the communities and milking the animals most women had their own herd to tend to, this included milking the animals and making cheese and meat.

Not only were Mongolian women responsible for housework and herds they were also allowed to be ‘fighters’ as well. Every men and women was trained in order to be ready for battle.

Each women in the empire was able to use a bow and arrow, were horsewomen and played a role in wrestling contests. Because woman had these heavy roles they were not required to marry and they could go through with a divorce if wanted.

Despite the freedoms Mongolian women had women of the Chinese culture were not as fortunate. The role the women centered around housework.

Most responsibilities of women included cleaning, cooking, caring for their husband and children. Since the Chinese live a very traditional lifestyle women were expected to have many children and have at least one son.

During thirteenth century China it was very unusual to see a women working a job away from her home. Most women had jobs that kept them in their houses all day, these jobs were, sewing, weaving and spinning.

If Chinese women did not have jobs of sewing, weaving or spinning they could be seen working in the fields with her husband. It was very unusual to see a women working away from her house, so most women that worked in fields came from a peasant family.

Despite the fact that Mongolian women were not forced to get married, arranged marriages were part of the traditional Chinese lifestyle. These marriages were carefully considered by the daily of the children from the time of birth.

Before these marriages were set, parents of the children would seek help from an astrologer. The job of this astrologer was to refer to birth chart in order to see if the two would be compatible.

In ancient China compatibility was always based upon the date and time of the birth. Although parents seek help from the astrologer it was always up to the father to approve the marriage or not.

After the marriage was approved the mother of the son would meet her daughter-in-law and share tea. This was a sign that the bride now belonged in the husband’s family.