The roles of women & children
The roles of women would vary depending on their status. Generally speaking, most women would probably have married, and would have expected to be responsible for running a household, raising the children, and working on the field.
The majority of women would have belonged to the peasant class, and would probably have been expected to work in the fields and tend livestock, as well as raising the children, cooking, spinning, weaving, and sewing.
A great many women would probably have worked as servants in wealthier families. Women of the merchant and tradesmen classes might have helped their husbands in their businesses, as this was often the case in pre-industrial societies. The wives of emperors and other powerful men may have had a lot of influence behind the scenes, as they often did in later centuries. Upper class Chinese women were often very cultured, and many women of later ages were well known as poets or artists. This was probably the case in the Zhou dynasty as well.
The roles of children would also have varied depending on their class. Peasant children would be expected to help out in the fields as soon as they were old enough. Children belonging to artisans and craftsmen would probably be taught their father's trade at very young ages. Children of better off families might have gone to school, or been educated at home by tutors.
The majority of women would have belonged to the peasant class, and would probably have been expected to work in the fields and tend livestock, as well as raising the children, cooking, spinning, weaving, and sewing.
A great many women would probably have worked as servants in wealthier families. Women of the merchant and tradesmen classes might have helped their husbands in their businesses, as this was often the case in pre-industrial societies. The wives of emperors and other powerful men may have had a lot of influence behind the scenes, as they often did in later centuries. Upper class Chinese women were often very cultured, and many women of later ages were well known as poets or artists. This was probably the case in the Zhou dynasty as well.
The roles of children would also have varied depending on their class. Peasant children would be expected to help out in the fields as soon as they were old enough. Children belonging to artisans and craftsmen would probably be taught their father's trade at very young ages. Children of better off families might have gone to school, or been educated at home by tutors.