被动的主动:清末广州高第街妇女权利与地位研究——以契约文书为例

Passive and Active:Study about Rights and Status of Women in Guangzhou Gaodijie in Late Qing Dynasty——Taking Contracts as Examples

清中后期,高第街作为广州城的商业老街聚集了众多盐商。在一批反映清末广州南城高第街房地产交易的契约文书中,出现了一些女性参与买卖过程的案例。通过对相关契约内容的分析发现,以寡母(寡妻)为主的一些高第街妇女能够以"买方""卖方"和"中人"等多元的身份在家庭大宗交易中发挥重要作用,具有较高的社会地位。虽然是在特定情况下的被动行为,但一定程度上体现了传统社会男性家长制度下女性的经济能动性。

As an old commercial street in Guangzhou,the Gaodijie gathered a large number of salt merchants in the mid-late Qing Dynasty. In a batch of contracts signed in the late Qing Dynasty reflected buying and selling situation of the estate, there are some records about women involved in the transaction. By analysis on the contents of the contract, the women played an important role in the family transaction as ＂the buyer＂, ＂the seller＂ and ＂ the intermediary ＂, and had very high status in society, which reflected that, in a certain extent, the initiative of women＇s economic consciousness gradually increased in the traditional social system male dominated.