Exploration of the Property Rights of Unmarried Daughters in the Song Dynasty

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jel.202614403

Author(s)

Zhiqi Lai1,*, Jingyu Wang2

Affiliation(s)

1School of law, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 2Department of First Procuratorial, Xian County People's Procuratorate, Cangzhou, Hebei, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

The Song Dynasty holds a pivotal position in the history of feudal society, experiencing profound changes in various aspects such as politics, economy, and culture. In terms of marriage and family, social structure, and the evolution of women's status, the Song Dynasty portrayed a unique landscape for women’s rights in family property relations. Especially towards the latter part of the dynasty, women’s economic and social status saw a more significant improvement, displaying characteristics different from previous dynasties. The issue of unmarried women’s property rights was particularly prominent, reflecting the complex understanding of women’s roles and status in society at that time. Such historical specificity gave women in the Song Dynasty distinct period characteristics in many aspects, including the distribution of family property rights and identity status. Based on existing literature and ancient books, this study summarizes the characteristics, causes, impacts, and implications of unmarried women’s property rights in the Song Dynasty. By exploring women’s property rights issues in the Song Dynasty from a systematic perspective, it can provide reference value for gender equality and women’s rights protection in today’s era from a historical perspective, prompting people to think, and attempting to derive some more operationally feasible suggestions or opinions from both legal and social practice perspectives.

Keywords

Song Dynasty; Unmarried Daughters; Property Rights; Daughters are Entitled to Half of a Son’s share

References

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