Final answer:
Women in Sub-Saharan Africa generally experienced more patriarchal restrictions, focusing on domestic roles, with limited public engagement, while in Neolithic China, evidence suggests a more equal status with men. The Han period, however, introduced more defined gender roles, with women specializing in textiles. Feminist anthropology has worked to correct early misconceptions about women's roles in history, revealing more complex and varied societal positions.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Sub-Saharan Africa, especially within Central African societies, the status of women is largely influenced by patriarchal norms and traditions. With an average family size of five or more, women are often confined to traditional roles, with limited opportunities for secondary education or employment. The societal expectation for women to be caretakers within the household suppresses their presence in the public sector, maintaining male dominance in various social and economic activities.
In contrast, in Neolithic Chinese societies, there is evidence of more egalitarian gender roles, where women had significant economic and subsistence roles, which were reflected in archaeological findings, such as being buried with the same quantity of items as men. Chinese society during the Han period, however, saw gendered labor divisions where men focused on agriculture and military service, while women specialized in textile production and household tasks, which became a symbol of feminine virtue and identity. Nonetheless, this division still afforded women in China a form of status within their traditional roles.
Examining the dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa and China, we notice that societal roles of women varied considerably due to culture, economic structure, and traditional gender expectations. While some African societies were matrilineal, the introduction of Middle Eastern customs through immigration and intermarriage often brought changes, such as veiling and segregation of women. Feminist anthropology has highlighted that early assumptions of women's subservience were largely inaccurate, and that many societies, perhaps more matrilineal Neolithic Chinese societies included, offered women a par or near-par status with men.