Many elite women (women of shih-tzu) in Northern Sung times were literate. Thisessay is an attempt to trace their education and the role in their children's education- Eventhough the education of Northern Sung elite women was elementary and informal, manywomen appear to have been highly educated. Examples of literate women's biographies(mv-chih or funerary inscriptions) in Sung collected works show that they read and studieda variety of books, from classics, histories, and literature to Buddhist and Taoist works.However, being confined to the household, most women of letters only wrote poems andthere are some surviving pieces. In their old age many women believed in Buddhism andenjoyed reading Buddhist sutras. Education was a necessity for elite women because theyoften had to be managers of their husbands' households, of matters of clan members, and ofestates. In fact, women were valued not only for their role in producing and bringing upheirs, but also for their many skills. They often assumed a major role in the direction of theirchildren's education, when their husbands were pursuing a degree through the civil serviceexaminations, or were appointed official positions away from their homes- Many strongwilled women were determined to teach their sons or to supervise their education when theirhusbands ignored education or died early. Not all women stayed home. The widows who chose not to remany had to engage in many productive activities in order to supportthemselves and their children. In sum. literate women seem to have been desirable wives for Northern Sung elite men.