성리학, 부장제도의 제도화, 그리고 젠더의 정치학: 조선조 유교 부계사회의 첨예를 완화하기 위한 권한 행사와 영향력 획득을 위한 전략

Wing Shan Chan Esme 고려대학교 고려대학교 부설 한자한문연구소 2023 동아한학연구 Vol.- No.17

성리학은 조선 왕조의 국가 이념으로 정치․사회․경제 개혁의 지침이 되었다. 여성은 유교 사상의 수호자로서 역할을 수행하고 유교 가부장제도의 핵심 요소 중 하나인 이상적인 여성 덕목을 실현하도록 가르침 받았다. 지배원칙과 행동규범은 상류층에서 형성되었고, 이 이상적인 규범이 상위 계층에서 하위 계층에 이르기까지 모든 계층의 사람들에게 서서히 영향을 미친 사실은 자주 논의된 바 있다. 따라서 양반 여성은 주어진 역할과 유교 원칙을 자신의 의무로 받아들이는 경향이 있었다. 성리학은 가족을 기초적인 사회 개체로 간주한다. 따라서, 가정의 질서를 유지하고 사회 안정을 지키고자 성 역할 및 지위를 명확하게 규정하였다. 또한, 위계질서에 대한 유교 사상에서 파생된 중요 윤리 원칙인 男尊女卑, 賢母良妻, 그리고 烈女는 여성이 역할을 수행하는 데에 있어서 모토(motto)가 되었다. 주지하다시피, 조선 왕조는 법, 보상, 그리고 엄벌에 따라 유교 원칙과 규칙을 시행하였다. 따라서 유교 가부장제 사회에서 여성의 생존을 위해서는 유교 원칙에 입각하여 가족을 형성하는 것이 필수적이게 되었다. 유교의 가부장제가 남성에게 모든 권리와 특권을 부여한 것은 언급할 필요가 없다. 따라서 여성은 재산을 상속 받거나 조상의 제사를 지내는 것과 같은 지위와 특권을 부여받지 못 했을 뿐만 아니라, 공적 생활과 어떠한 영향력 있는 역할에서도 배제되었다. 조선의 여성은 종속적 위치에 있는 수동적인 대상이자 무력한 존재였다고 논의될지도 모른다. 그러나 유교의 가부장제 체제 내에서 여성이 어느 정도의 자율성과 자신의 이익을 위해 권한을 행사할 수 있었던 것은 명백하다. 유교에서 성 역할을 제약하는 것이 여성이 가정 내에서 상당한 권한을 행사하고 가사를 담당하며 영향력을 확보하는 것 이외에도, 이러한 엄격한 성 분리 아래에서도 여성이 의미 있는 역할을 수행할 수 있는 공간을 규정하는 것까지도 가능하게 해주었다는 사실이 종종 언급된 바 있다. 또한 內訓과 같은 여성 덕목서는 조선시대에 성리학이 어떠한 방식으로 여성을 억압했는지를 입증하는 데에 활용되었다. 그럼에도 불구하고 여성은 그러한 덕목서를 읽으며 자신들의 삶을 개척하는 수단으로서 유교 이념에 관여할 필요성을 명확히 인지하였다. 이 글에서 필자는 여성이 조선시대 유교의 가부장 제도에 직접적으로 도전하지 않고 권한을 행사하고 영향력을 확보하기 위한 전략을 어떻게 발전시켰는지를 세 가지 측면에서 논의하고자 한다. 첫째, 여성은 성리학을 수용하고 유교 체제에서 적절한 역할을 수행함으로써 자신의 삶의 방식을 결정할 수 있었다. 둘째, 여성은 엄격한 성 분리 하에서도 안채에서 개인의 주체성과 권한을 찾거나 사회적으로 인정받을 수 있었다. 마지막으로, 여성은 다양한 법적 보호를 받았으며 남성이 갖지 못한 특권을 누리기도 하였다. Neo-Confucianism was the state ideology of the Chosŏn dynasty, which became the guiding principle for political, social and economic reforms of the society. Women were taught to assume roles as guardians of Confucian ideology and embody the ideal of female virtue as one of the central elements of the Confucian patrilineal system. It has often been observed that the ruling principles and codes of behavior were created in the upper class and the ideal norms penetrated all classes of people from high to low gradually. Therefore, yangban women were inclined to accept the given roles and Confucian principles as their duties. Neo-Confucianism views the family as the basic social unity. Thus, gender roles and status were clearly defined for maintaining order in the household and safeguarding social stability. Also, the leading ethical principles, men should be respected, women should be lowered (namjon yŏbi, 男尊女卑), which was derived from the Confucian belief in hierarchy, wise mother, good wife (hyŏnmo yangch'ŏ, 賢母良妻) and virtuous women (yŏllyŏ, 烈女) became the motto for women's role performance. It is true that the Chosŏn dynasty enforced Confucian principles and rules by law, award and severe punishment. As a result, the establishment of a family based on the Confucian principles became essential to women’s survival in the Confucian patrilineal society. Undoubtedly, the Confucian patrilineal system authorized all right and privileges to men. Thus, women not only suffered a loss of status and privileges such as inheritance of property and participation in ancestor ritual, but also were excluded from public life and any influential role. One might argued that Chosŏn women have been passive recipients of the subordinate status and regarded as powerless. However, it is clear that women were still able to exercise agency within the Confucian patrilineal system to gain a degree of autonomy and further their interests. It has often been observed that the strictures of Confucian gender roles not only allow women to exercise considerable authority within the family and gain influence through managing the household affaires, but also allow them to define a space where they could play meaningful roles under the strict gender segregation. Moreover, moral handbooks for women such as Instructions for women (Naehun, 內訓), which have always been used to demonstrate how Neo-Confucianism oppressed women in the Chosŏn dynasty. Nevertheless, it is clear that women realized the need of engaging Confucian ideology as a means of improving their lives through reading those moral handbooks (Kim, 2011: 8). In this essay, I will talk about three aspects how women developed strategy to employ agency and secure influence without directly challenging the Confucian patrilineal system during the Chosŏn dynasty. First, women were able to negotiate a means to live their lives through engaging Neo-Confucianism and fulfilling the proper role in the Confucian system. Second, women were capable to find personal agency and empowerment in the inner quarter or even gain social recognition in the society under the strict gender segregation. And lastly, women were protected by various laws and enjoyed certain privileges that men did not have.

Neo-Confucianism, the Institutionalization of Patrilineality and the Politics of Gender: Strategies for Employing Agency and Securing Influence in order to Soften the Edge of Confucian Patriarchy during the Chosŏn Dynasty?

Wing Shan Chan Esme 고려대학교 고려대학교 부설 한자한문연구소 2023 동아한학연구 Vol.- No.17

Neo-Confucianism was the state ideology of the Chosŏn dynasty, which became the guiding principle for political, social and economic reforms of the society. Women were taught to assume roles as guardians of Confucian ideology and embody the ideal of female virtue as one of the central elements of the Confucian patrilineal system. It has often been observed that the ruling principles and codes of behavior were created in the upper class and the ideal norms penetrated all classes of people from high to low gradually. Therefore, yangban women were inclined to accept the given roles and Confucian principles as their duties. Neo-Confucianism views the family as the basic social unity. Thus, gender roles and status were clearly defined for maintaining order in the household and safeguarding social stability. Also, the leading ethical principles, men should be respected, women should be lowered (namjon yŏbi, 男尊女卑), which was derived from the Confucian belief in hierarchy, wise mother, good wife (hyŏnmo yangch'ŏ, 賢母良妻) and virtuous women (yŏllyŏ, 烈女) became the motto for women's role performance. It is true that the Chosŏn dynasty enforced Confucian principles and rules by law, award and severe punishment. As a result, the establishment of a family based on the Confucian principles became essential to women’s survival in the Confucian patrilineal society. Undoubtedly, the Confucian patrilineal system authorized all right and privileges to men. Thus, women not only suffered a loss of status and privileges such as inheritance of property and participation in ancestor ritual, but also were excluded from public life and any influential role. One might argued that Chosŏn women have been passive recipients of the subordinate status and regarded as powerless. However, it is clear that women were still able to exercise agency within the Confucian patrilineal system to gain a degree of autonomy and further their interests. It has often been observed that the strictures of Confucian gender roles not only allow women to exercise considerable authority within the family and gain influence through managing the household affaires, but also allow them to define a space where they could play meaningful roles under the strict gender segregation. Moreover, moral handbooks for women such as Instructions for women (Naehun, 內訓), which have always been used to demonstrate how Neo-Confucianism oppressed women in the Chosŏn dynasty. Nevertheless, it is clear that women realized the need of engaging Confucian ideology as a means of improving their lives through reading those moral handbooks (Kim, 2011: 8). In this essay, I will talk about three aspects how women developed strategy to employ agency and secure influence without directly challenging the Confucian patrilineal system during the Chosŏn dynasty. First, women were able to negotiate a means to live their lives through engaging Neo-Confucianism and fulfilling the proper role in the Confucian system. Second, women were capable to find personal agency and empowerment in the inner quarter or even gain social recognition in the society under the strict gender segregation. And lastly, women were protected by various laws and enjoyed certain privileges that men did not have.