Neo-Confucianism, the Institutionalization of Patrilineality and the Politics of Gender: Strategies for Employing Agency and Securing Influence in order to Soften the Edge of Confucian Patriarchy during the Chosŏn Dynasty?

Neo-Confucianism, the Institutionalization of Patrilineality and the Politics of Gender: Strategies for Employing Agency and Securing Influence in order to Soften the Edge of Confucian Patriarchy during the Chosŏn Dynasty?

Neo-Confucianism was the state ideology of the Chosŏn dynasty, which became the guiding principle for political, social and economic reforms of the society. Women were taught to assume roles as guardians of Confucian ideology and embody the ideal of female virtue as one of the central elements of the Confucian patrilineal system. It has often been observed that the ruling principles and codes of behavior were created in the upper class and the ideal norms penetrated all classes of people from high to low gradually. Therefore, yangban women were inclined to accept the given roles and Confucian principles as their duties. Neo-Confucianism views the family as the basic social unity. Thus, gender roles and status were clearly defined for maintaining order in the household and safeguarding social stability. Also, the leading ethical principles, men should be respected, women should be lowered (namjon yŏbi, 男尊女卑), which was derived from the Confucian belief in hierarchy, wise mother, good wife (hyŏnmo yangch'ŏ, 賢母良妻) and virtuous women (yŏllyŏ, 烈女) became the motto for women's role performance. It is true that the Chosŏn dynasty enforced Confucian principles and rules by law, award and severe punishment. As a result, the establishment of a family based on the Confucian principles became essential to women’s survival in the Confucian patrilineal society. Undoubtedly, the Confucian patrilineal system authorized all right and privileges to men. Thus, women not only suffered a loss of status and privileges such as inheritance of property and participation in ancestor ritual, but also were excluded from public life and any influential role. One might argued that Chosŏn women have been passive recipients of the subordinate status and regarded as powerless. However, it is clear that women were still able to exercise agency within the Confucian patrilineal system to gain a degree of autonomy and further their interests. It has often been observed that the strictures of Confucian gender roles not only allow women to exercise considerable authority within the family and gain influence through managing the household affaires, but also allow them to define a space where they could play meaningful roles under the strict gender segregation. Moreover, moral handbooks for women such as Instructions for women (Naehun, 內訓), which have always been used to demonstrate how Neo-Confucianism oppressed women in the Chosŏn dynasty. Nevertheless, it is clear that women realized the need of engaging Confucian ideology as a means of improving their lives through reading those moral handbooks (Kim, 2011: 8). In this essay, I will talk about three aspects how women developed strategy to employ agency and secure influence without directly challenging the Confucian patrilineal system during the Chosŏn dynasty. First, women were able to negotiate a means to live their lives through engaging Neo-Confucianism and fulfilling the proper role in the Confucian system. Second, women were capable to find personal agency and empowerment in the inner quarter or even gain social recognition in the society under the strict gender segregation. And lastly, women were protected by various laws and enjoyed certain privileges that men did not have.