明清时期寡妇守节的风气－理性选择(rational choice)的问题

Widow Chastity in Ming-Ch'ing China: A Problem of Rational Choice

从先秦到宋代，中国的寡妇通常会再嫁，守节不嫁只是少数的例外。相反地，在明清时代，寡妇通常会尽量去守节，再嫁会广受社会的歧视。这篇文章从制度的角度来观察这个差异，认为明清时代的寡妇普遍会守节，就像前此寡妇普遍会再嫁一样，是一种理性的选择。在元代由於蒙古统治者把他们的婚制强加在汉人社会上，使得寡妇的权利几乎完全从寡妇以及她的本生家族流失掉，转移到夫家手中。除了某些调整，明清时代的婚制大体沿袭蒙元的规定，守节因而成为符合寡妇利益的最适选择。社会和人文环境的某些变化使得明清时代的寡妇更容易守节和更难以再嫁。这篇论文也努力检讨了这些变化。

From ancient times to Sung dynasty (960-1279) remarriage was common among Chinese widows. In Ming-Ch'ing times (1368-1911), however, widows widely followed the rule of chastity to refrain from a second marriage. This paper argues from the institutional perspective that, just like their counterparts in previous ages who preferred to remarry themselves if they had survived their husbands, the chaste widows in Ming-Ch'ing China who consciously endured their hardship of widowhood made a rational choice to maximize their interest. The difference in choice was a result of changes in marital institution brought about under the Mongol rule of Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). In addition, several elements appearing in the social environments of Ming-Ch'ing times made widowhood more feasible and remarriage more difficult. The combined effects tended to sustain a cult of widow chastity for about six centuries which comprise a unique epoch in Chinese history.