Study On Marriage And Fertility Models Of Upper Middle Class Women In The Northern Of The Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty is an important transitional period in ancient China. The Northern Song Dynasty, which is in the formation and development stage of Song Dynasty, has exerted a very significant social influence on Song Dynasty and even later generations. Marriage and fertility features of women vary in different periods in history, which is meaningful for us to know the real life status of women. By statistics and comprehensive analysis, this thesis, based on related theories of sociology of population and history, builds related models through statistics of marriage and fertility conditions of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. Based on this model, this thesis summarizes marriage and fertility concepts and customs of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty with the method of model research, at the same time, it analyzes and concludes the reasons for the formation of this model.The main body contains four parts. The first chapter is about introduction. It illustrates the reason for the topic selection, its academic significance, research status of marriage and fertility of women in Song Dynasty in academia, definition of "upper middle class women" and "model", methodology and research idea of the thesis.The second chapter dwells upon marriage model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. It includes three parts:marriage statistics of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty, the marriage model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty, and reasons for the marriage model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. Part one includes the situation of first marriage age and husband’s status of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. It concludes their average first marriage age and selection of husband by related materials. Part two includes the first marriage model, mate preference, marital customs of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. It concludes that their first marriage was rather late, even some women got late marriage, and they had a preference for eunuches as husbands. Part three includes cultural traditions and social changes of Tang and Song Dynasties. Parental dominance on children’s marriage in traditional culture, flattery to celebrities in the then society, civil service based government structure since the found of Song Dynasty, all played vital important parts in the formation of this marriage model.The third chapter illustrates fertility model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. It contains three parts:fertility statistics of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty, the fertility model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty, and reasons for the fertility model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. The first part includes the average number of children upper middle class women had and the children’s sex ratio. It concludes the average number of children they had and the children’s sex ratio through related materials. The second part includes fertility quantity model, preference for children’s gender and birth customs of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. It figures out that the number of children they had was large, and the number was even larger in imperial clan. Besides, they had a common preference for boys as to children’s gender. Part three includes cultural traditions, economic situation and national policy. Traditional pursuit of "the more sons, the more blessings" and "male-preference”thinking, emphasis on male labor force in low productivity, national pursuit of quantity of productivity and male dominance, all exerted influences on this fertility model.Chapter four is conclusion of this thesis. It includes three parts:marriage model and its causes, fertility model and its causes of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty, social changes of Tang and Song Dynasties through marriage and fertility models of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. The first part concludes the reasons for the formation of marriage model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty by analyzing its marriage model. Inherited cultural traditions played an important part in the formation of this marriage model. There were changes and reforms in every aspect of the society. Political structure of the Northern Song Dynasty changed under such background. Officials selected through imperial examination were put in important positions. Rulers was always emphasizing literature and restricting military force. There prevailed the marriage custom of "selecting huaband by his talents" at that time. The background of social changes is another reason for the formation of this marriage model. The first part concludes the reasons for the formation of fertility model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty by analyzing its fertility model. Cultural traditions like "the more sons, the more blessings" and "carry on the family line" have been established since ancient China. It is those long-term handed-down traditions that played the decisive role in the formation of fertility model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. Concrete family economic status, governmental policies of male emphasis and fertility encouragement were important reasons for the formation of fertility model of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty. National policies also played an important part. Inherited policy of population growth encouragement had an influence on the formation of fertility model. Generally speaking, marriage and fertility models of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty were formed by a variety of factors. The third part analyzes marriage and fertility characteristics of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty, which arrives at the conclusion that women did not get anything under the background of social changes Tang and Song Dynasties, what was worse, their social status were on the decrease.The body part is followed by the appendix. It is a list of statistics about marriage and fertility of upper middle class women in the Northern Song Dynasty.