Confucianism was long used as an ideological tool to bolster patriarchal rule. If you take the Venerable Sage's writings seriously, however, there is only one conclusion that is possible: Women, in general, come closer to the moral ideals upheld by Confucius than men.

Think about it. What is the most important virtue espoused by Confucius? The Analects suggests caring for parents and elders. The second passage of Chapter I reads:

"Master Yu said: 'It's honouring parents and elders that makes people human. Then they rarely turn against authority. And if people don't turn against authority, they never rise up and pitch the country into chaos. The noble-minded cultivate roots. When roots are secure, the Way is born. To honour parents and elders isn't that the root of humanity?"

That's pretty straightforward; the "root of humanity," the basis of the greatest possible virtue. And when we work on that root, we move toward broader social and political stability from the inside out, progressing from secure family relations to settled national conditions. That is the essence of Confucian thought.

Let's be honest. Who takes on most of the real family work of caring for parents and elders? Is it husbands and sons, or is it wives and daughters? Seems to me that women put more time into family care. And when we factor in caring for children since, after all, Confucius told us to "cherish the young" it is not even close. Women cultivate roots. Men get out of the house for work or less "humane" pursuits.

As a man, myself, I know what the first rebuttal is; we have to leave the house and spend time at work to earn the money that keeps the family in food and shelter and other material needs. There's some truth to this.

Yet this is precisely where the real challenge of Confucius can be seen. While he understands that men have to leave the home to do right by the family, limiting their time for care giving, he is very clear about how to resolve what we moderns refer to as "work versus family conflicts." He comes down unequivocally for family.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the Confucian demand for a strict period of mourning for deceased parents. In pre-Qin times the Confucians were adamant that bereavement and commemoration continue for three years. The Moists, followers of China's earliest utilitarian thinker Mozi, argued that this was unnecessary and a wasteful interruption of productive work. Confucians countered that expressing such materialistic concerns was unbecoming of a morally educated gentleman.

A three-year period of mourning is obviously impossible in a modern economic context, but if extrapolate this ancient debate to the present, Confucians would argue that men should be willing to limit their time at work to contribute more to the work of the family. Care of the family is everyone's primary duty; it is not "women's work."

In advanced industrial societies, traditional gender roles have been challenged and changed. Men are doing more family work, but women are quick to point out that they still carry the greatest burden. Modern Confucians, if they are true to the contemporary implications of Confucius' own teachings, would have to side with the women.

And that leaves us with another question. If women are closer to the root of humanity through their family work, and if, as Confucius believes, the humane should rule, then would a modern Confucian have to conclude that women should rule? So much for the patriarchy.

Contact the author at scrane@williams.edu

Sam Crane teaches Chinese philosophy and politics at Williams College in Massachusetts, USA, and is the author of Aidan's Way.

(China Daily 08/10/2006 page15)