Here are some comparisons of Korean society before and after the introducation of Chinese culture, particularly the Confucian patterns of society introduced during the Yi dynasty:
PRE - CONFUCIAN KOREA
1. The patrilineage was not the basic unit of society.
the lineages that did exist were not organized on the principle of "men
related to men through men."
2. Namjon yobi the
principle that men were superior to women did not apply. As an example,
daughters were listed with sons in the order of birth, both in the genealogy
and in inheritance documents.
3. Inheritance was equally divided among sons and daughters.
Women held rights to property and could give or receive property on an
equal footing with men.
4. Ancestor ceremonies (chaesa)
were not the responsibility of the male children alone. Daughters also
had responsibility for the ceremonies and held land to support the ceremonies.
5. Adoption was seldom practiced. When adoption took place,
representatives of the woman's natal line were involved in the decision-making
process. It was not a matter for the husband's kinsmen.
6. Female lines were as important as male lines. In record
keeping and in recognition of relationships, affinal ties seem to have
been as significant as those between lineage members.
7. Remarriage was not unusual. Prejudices against or limitation
on remarried women and their children were minimal in the first century,
but hardened thereafter.
Yi Dynasty Society:
1. Society was organized on the basis of the patrilineal
descent group. the patrilineage, as it can be called, is succinctly defined
as men related to men through men.
2. The superiority of males and the inferiority of females
was assumed: namjon, yobi. In genealogies,
for example, all sons were listed first and daughters listed last regardless
of birth sequence.
3. Only sons received inheritances, with the eldest son
receiving the largest share.
4. In the ancestor ceremonies, the first son's line was
the more important than the other sons' lines. the division of importance
in ceremonial position is manifest in the terms k'unjip
(direct descent line) and chagunjip
(collateral descent line).
5. Intralineage adoption was the means of obtaining a
son for the sake of continuing the line. A man who had daughters only was
considered to have o children. Matters of adoption were decided by the
representatives of the patrilineage.
6. The record of a daughter in the lineage genealogy was
brief. Lines of daughters seldom extended beyond one or two generations.
7. Remarriage for widows was strongly discouraged.