Set against the backdrop of the Song and Yuan dynasties, this book offers a detailed examination of the decline in the status of Chinese women, particularly their property rights, amid the dramatic changes of the era. It argues that this shift was brought about primarily by the vigorous advocacy of Song dynasty Neo-Confucian scholars, together with Mongolian customs and laws during the Yuan dynasty, with the latter playing a particularly important role. This change had a profound influence on the subsequent development of Chinese society.
