本文根據大量周代青銅器銘文作細部分析，觀察兩周婦女在祭祀中的地位。從婦女去世後受祭祀的情況來看，婦女一生中四種最要的身份是「女」「妻」「母」「妣」，其中以「母」的地位最為崇高。女性祖先受祀者遠少於男性祖先，男女祖先因性別而有所差異。 從有祭祀祖先的角度來看，祭器製作權多握在男性手中，多數婦女被動的接受丈夫或父親作器贈與，用以祭祀夫家祖先。婦女出嫁後其製作祭器能力薄弱，遠不及男性 。僅有少數有婦女如周王后妃、諸侯夫人等，因身份地位較高，在其丈夫去世後，有可能參與製作宗廟祭器。即使是對已歿丈夫作祭器，也不多見。兒子為亡父作祭器佔有銘青銅器的大宗，說明婦女(妻子)自主能力不高。 出嫁婦女祭祀以夫家祖先為主，通常不為母家作祭器或參與母家祭祀。祭祀後的燕享活動以夫家宗族為主，婦女雖於祭祀過程參與準備祭品的工作，但極少極邀請參與祭後燕享。姻親有時亦受邀請，但重要性不及宗親。 總的看來，周代是以男性或父權為中心的時代，祭器的製作和整體祭祀活動，掌握在男性手中；去世後享祀，男性祖先的地位亦高於女性祖先。不論是去世後接受祭祀，或在世時製作祭器及參與祭祀活動，周代婦女都處於被動與弱勢的地位。

This paper is based on the detailed analysis of a large number of Zhou (Chou) dynasty bronze inscriptions, examining the position of women in worship in the Western and Eastern Zhou. From the worship directed at women after death, it is found that the four important roles women played during life were those of daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother; of these, it was in the role of mother that women were most exalted. Female ancestors were much less the focus of ancestor worship than their male counterparts; gender resulted in a definite difference in treatment of male and female ancestors. Looking at women’s role in worshipping ancestors, it is found that most bronzes were cast for male patrons, and the majority of women owners were passive recipients of ritual bronze vessels as gifts from their husbands or fathers, for the purpose of worshipping the husband’s ancestors. After marriage, women’s ability to have vessels cast was weak, and vastly inferior to men’s. Only a few women like empresses and concubines of the Zhou kings, and wives of feudal lords, etc., due to their relatively high status, could have bronzes made after their husband’s death. Even ritual vessels made for such a deceased husband were uncommon; the fact that sons (rather than wives) had the majority of such inscribed bronze vessels cast attests to the limited autonomy of the wife. Married women primarily worshipped the husband’s ancestors, not normally participating in worship to her own ancestors or having ritual vessels made for them. The activities of the post-ritual banquet also focused primarily on the husband’s blood lineage, and although women participated to some extent in the preparation of sacrificial items for banquet. Relatives by marriage sometimes received invitations, but their importance did not match that of the husband’s blood relatives. Overall, the Zhou dynasty was a period of male dominance and patriarchy, with the manufacture of ritual vessels and the entire ritual activity firmly in men’s hands. Among the deceased recipients of worship, the status of male ancestors was also greater than that of female ancestors. Both after death, in being the focus of worship, and during life, in having ritual vessels made and participating in worship activities, women in the Zhou period occupied a weak a passive role.