Relationality vs. Agency: Confucian Role Ethics

The text analyzes the tension between the relational anthropology of Confucianism and historical patriarchy. The author argues that yin-yang cosmology, based on complementarity and interdependence, does not directly determine gender inequality. The key source of power asymmetry is not metaphysics, but the institutional division into the inner sphere (nei) and outer sphere (wai), which limited women's agency. The analysis indicates that the functional complementarity of roles often masked real inequality in access to resources and political influence. The article postulates a distinction between the value of a performed function and the status of the person, pointing to the necessity of a critical revision of traditional structures to achieve relational justice.