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How did the matriarch manage the household in ancient times?

The ancient practice of a matriarch suppressing greed included the following aspects:

Financial management. Responsible for the family's financial affairs, including bookkeeping and the distribution of family members' salaries. 1

Human Resources Management. Responsible for the management of family members, including the allocation and supervision of their duties.

Social activities. Participating in social activities, such as pilgrimages and pilgrimages, to maintain family reputation and social networks.

Family decision-making. Possesses independent judgment and makes decisions on major matters both inside and outside the family. 2

Family atmosphere. Responsible for maintaining a harmonious family atmosphere, including handling conflicts and disputes among family members.

Education and motivation

Teach family members to follow correct behaviors and values.

Encourage family members to reach their full potential, especially when facing difficulties and challenges.

In ancient times, the role of the matriarch was not limited to managing household affairs and finances; it also included maintaining relationships between family members and representing the family in social activities. They needed to possess independent judgment, as well as the ability to educate and inspire family members.

In ancient society, the matriarch of the household primarily focused on bookkeeping, personnel management, financial management, raising children, and respecting elders when managing the family. Her specific methods of household management were as follows: 1

For wealthy families, in addition to the above, social activities might also be involved, such as interactions with the ruling class and aristocratic groups, as well as participation in religious or ethnic activities.

For small families or ordinary households, family management methods may focus more on organizing daily life and maintaining relationships between family members.

In addition, in ancient societies, the matriarch was also responsible for the family's religious and sacrificial activities, as well as maintaining relationships with other clan members.

Ancient family hierarchy

The ancient family hierarchy mainly included the following: the Gongzu, the Shizu, the Yingzu, the Xiaozu, the Shizu, the Shizu, the Shizu, and the Shizu.

Specifically:

Nobility ranks: These were symbols of honor and status under the feudal system of ancient China. For example, in the Zhou Dynasty, there were five ranks of nobility: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. These ranks not only represented the social status of a family but also determined the size of their fiefdom.

Social stratification: This is primarily reflected in the division of society into two social classes during the Jin Dynasty: the aristocratic class and the commoner class. The aristocratic class consisted of prominent families who had served as officials for generations, possessing extremely high social status and political privileges; while the commoner class referred to ordinary small and medium-sized landowning families who did not belong to the aristocratic class, whose social status was relatively low and who rarely entered the national leadership.

In addition, there are other family-related concepts such as powerful clans and aristocratic families, which to some extent reflect the hierarchical differences among families in ancient times. For example, powerful clans usually refer to those families with strong geographical ties and holding official positions in the court; wealthy families refer to those with money and influence; and nobles are the upper class formed in slave and feudal societies due to their higher power and wealth compared to other classes.

In ancient times, were children born to concubines given to the principal wife?

uncertain

In ancient China, children born to concubines were not necessarily given to the principal wife for upbringing. According to ancient customs, children born to concubines, whether sons or daughters, were usually registered under the principal wife's name, becoming her direct descendants. This was because the principal wife held the highest position in the family, and her children consequently held a relatively high status within the clan. However, specific circumstances could vary from family to family, and in some cases, the concubine's children might be fostered under the names of other relatives.

A son born to a concubine (庶子) is considered a son of a concubine, and his status in the family is generally lower than that of a son born to the principal wife (嫡子). In terms of inheritance rights, a son of a concubine is usually ranked after a son of a legitimate wife. If the principal wife has no sons, a son of a concubine may be considered an heir.

Marriage of illegitimate daughters: Daughters born to concubines, known as illegitimate daughters, were likely to marry illegitimate sons from families of equal social standing or legitimate sons from families of slightly lower social standing. Illegitimate daughters generally did not become concubines but were married off as wives.

Foster care: In some cases, a concubine's children might be fostered by other members of the family, especially if the principal wife was unable to raise her own children. This foster care system ensured that the children could grow up in a suitable family environment.

Inheritance rights: A concubine's children may have limited inheritance rights, especially if the principal wife has biological children. However, if the principal wife has no sons, a concubine's sons may have inheritance rights. Furthermore, if there is no suitable male heir in the family, a concubine's sons may be adopted by other relatives to inherit the family property.

In conclusion, the children of concubines were not necessarily raised by the principal wife; their upbringing and status depended on the specific circumstances of the family and the customs of the time.

Are children born to a second wife considered legitimate sons in ancient times?

In ancient times, children born to the principal wife were called "嫡子" (dizi), while children born to concubines (women without official status) were considered "妾" (qie). If the principal wife died, the ruler would often marry a new principal wife, called "续弦" (xuxian). Children born to this new wife were also considered legitimate sons. However, strictly speaking, there was only one wife; the new wife was neither the principal wife nor a concubine, so her sons were not considered legitimate sons, only having priority in inheritance over other sons born to concubines. In the royal family and nobility, the throne and titles were inherited through primogeniture, meaning the eldest child born to the wife was the legitimate eldest son. Each dynasty handled this differently; some dynasties prioritized the children of the original empress, while others treated all legitimate sons equally, regardless of age, with the oldest son inheriting first.

In ancient times, it was not common for a concubine's daughter to become the principal wife. Typically, a concubine's daughter might marry a son of equal social standing as the principal wife, or a legitimate son of a family of slightly lower social standing. If the father intended for his daughter to marry into a high-ranking family for personal gain, she might become a concubine. However, there were instances where a concubine's daughter became the principal wife, but this usually meant a decline in her status, as legitimate sons had priority in inheriting family property and titles.

In ancient societies with strict class divisions, legitimate sons typically chose legitimate daughters as their principal wives, rather than illegitimate daughters. Even among men of equal social standing, illegitimate daughters were not considered the best choice for a principal wife. For an illegitimate daughter to become a principal wife, she usually had to marry a son of equal or lower social standing, either a son of an illegitimate son or a son of a man of lower social standing.

In the social structure of ancient times, children born out of wedlock were usually not eligible to inherit their fathers' property. Even if they were, it would only be their turn after the legitimate line had divided it among themselves. Children born out of wedlock had a lower status in the family. They could not call their biological mother "mother" but could only call her "concubine mother." This was to maintain the face of the legal wife and the legitimacy of the bloodline.