Final answer:
Under the Tang Dynasty, women saw both empowerment, exemplified by the rule of Empress Wu Zetian, and restriction, enforced through sumptuary laws and the legal status of women as property. Even with legal rights to property and inheritance, their societal roles were constrained by patriarchal norms and social status.
Step-by-step explanation:
Under the Tang Dynasty, women experienced a combination of empowerment and restriction. The rule of Empress Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, symbolized the increased prominence of women, positioning her as both a beacon of female authority and a subject of controversy. Empress Wu founded her own dynasty, the Wu Zhou, actively promoted Buddhism, and encouraged a culture that showcased the talents of women, including poets and scholars.
However, the successful reigns of Empress Wu and her daughter-in-law Empress Wei were exceptions rather than the norm. Strict sumptuary laws dictated women's attire, elite men had concubines, and the Tang legal system considered women as property. Despite this, women under the Tang Dynasty did have certain legal rights, including property ownership, inheritance of deceased husband's property, and management of household budgets.
Women's societal roles were deeply influenced by their birth and social station, as indicated by the lesser sentences in legal matters compared to men. Nonetheless, the personal behavior and relations between the sexes saw contradictory trends, suggesting a complex and evolving gender dynamic influenced by both cultural and legal frameworks.