Property Relations of Mongolian Women during the Qing Period

Abstract This study considers the historical importance of the dowry, or inǰe, in outer Mongolia during the Qing period (1636–1911), focusing on the developments of the legal system towards women’s rights over their dowry using archival legal case documents from the Mongolian archives. Previous studies argue that the dowry system was of little importance among the steppe populations; however, the Mongolian archival documents make it clear that the dowry played a very important role in society for establishing prestige and for acquisition of property for families during the Qing period. They also show that the courts in Mongolia consistently ruled in favour of women, particularly in the case of their ownership and compensation for dowry livestock during divorce cases, including livestock born from dowry livestock, demonstrating that pre-modern Mongol women were considered autonomous social agents with distinct personal rights, and not thought of as property.

Property Relations of Mongolian Women during the Qing Period Academic Article