人類兩性地位的變化，是與生產力的發展分不開的。原始社會時期，生產力極其低下，社會充滿了恐懼與威脅，人們經常因為各種原因而死亡，導致人口數量銳減，而人口數量對于一個氏族的生存尤為重要。于是人們一方面想辦法讓自己活下去，另一方面則把希望寄托于生出 更多的孩子來，這使女性受到人們的崇拜，這應該是中國女性最值得驕傲的時期———母系氏族時期。生活在這個時期的女性應該說是“生正逢時”。雖然她們不能和現代的女性相比，但是最起碼在男人面前還是有身份有地位的。然而封建私有制的出現卻徹底改變了她們的命運， 而且這一改變就是兩千多年。

Changes in the gender hierarchy are inextricable from the evolution of productivity. Primitive society was characterized by extremely low productivity and beset by a plethora of fears and threats. Mortality was high because of various causes of death, which led to a drastic population decline. As population size was crucial for clan survival, people looked for ways to extend their lifespans while pinning their hopes on increased procreation. As a result, women became highly venerated. China entered into what should have been the proudest period for its women—the matriarchal era. Women back then were supposedly “living in their golden age”. Though their status is not to be mentioned in the same breath as that of modern women, they did enjoy a respectable position that was at least comparable to that of men. Nevertheless, with the emergence of feudal private ownership, their fate turned around, and this state persisted for as long as two millennia.