Their respective roles in family life, marriage, and education.
In ancient China, women were considered inferior to men. This meant that their entire lives were spent being subservient to men in their families, be it their fathers, husbands, or sons. Confucian ideals taught that the role of women was to look after the men in their families. They weren’t allowed to have ambitions and a life “outside of the home”. Confucius taught that the greatest duty for a woman was to be a good mother and bear a son. He did emphasize, however, that a woman’s role as mother and mother-in-law should be respected.
Marriages were arranged in ancient China. Women were not allowed to have any say in who they had to marry. Their father’s choice was the final decision. Once they married, they had to obey all members of the husband’s family, particularly their husbands’ mothers. A girl would gain greater acceptance and “power” if she bore a son, for sons were always cherished in Chinese culture much more than daughters.
In terms of education, women in ancient China were not allowed to be schooled, unless they came from a wealthy background. So most girls were not educated. But even girls from privileged backgrounds were limited in their lives, because most if not all, had their feet bound at a very early age. The custom of “foot-binding” served a multi-purpose——bound feet were considered attractive because they were small and dainty, and men preferred that. Bound feet also prevented women from venturing too far from the household, and hence further reduced their role in Chinese society. Girls from poor backgrounds, on the other hand, faced a different oppression——because they were born female and were poor, they were considered a liability to the family and were often sold to richer families as servants.
Generally, in ancient China, women faced very oppressed lives. Although those in the upper classes fared better, they still had to abide by the Confucian code and strict customs. So women in ancient China led very sad lives and had very little voice.