Female Ideals
A woman had to be humble, affectionate, gentle and passive. According to religious beliefs,
men represented a higher form of life, and a woman could not reach nirvana until she had lived
the life of a man, through reincarnation. A virtuous heart was more important to a woman than beauty.
Women of the Warrior Class The difference between men and women was greatest within the Samurai class. The status of women of the highest Samurai families resembled that of ladies-in-waiting. In the lower Samurai classes, women ruled indoors, although they had no formal authority. The wife of a Samurai did not have as much time on her hands as a lady-in-waiting, since she took care of the home and introduced her smallest children to Samurai values.
