The Role of Women in the Rongmei Economy: A Historical Study

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the role of Rongmei women in economic activities, considering their significant contributions to the growth and development of Rongmei society. Women have been significant contributors to the progression of human societies from time immemorial. However, the fact remains that every society believed men were superior to women in terms of socio-cultural, religious, and economic life. Furthermore, society considered women's work inferior to men's. But in every tribal society, women work alongside men in almost all aspects of life and play a dual role, bearing a greater share of the workload. Likewise, in Rongmei society, women have a broader range of responsibilities, from domestic work to various agricultural activities. They also played a significant role in other economic activities vis-à-vis their male counterparts. Therefore, the present paper is a humble attempt to study the role of women in a wide range of economic activities that sustained Rongmei society in the pre-colonial period and how these changed during the colonial period.