本文首先探討《列女傳》在傳統中國史學史上的意義及作者劉向寫作的教化性目的。次言劉向以性別作為歷史寫作的分類標準，在表面上看，似乎突破了在他之前的性別規範，其實並未脫離固有的女性性別倫理準則居內從人。至於《列女傳》中的男性雖不如相關女性來得高明，但男性本不是劉向寫作的重點，故在劉向的心目中，一個理想的王教社會，仍然是以男主女從為其組成基調；而一個能善盡輔佐職分，又甘居從屬地位的女性，才是他所稱許的。

　　　　　First, this research discusses and explores the reasons why Liu-siang wrote Lieh- Nu-Chuan (Biographies of Chinese Women) as an ethic textbook and the writing style of Lieh-Nu-Chuan as one model in conventional Chinese historiography. Secondly, this research explores why Liu-siang took gender as classified certification in historical writing. On surface it seems that the certification was beyond the restraint of gender, however, actually the female ethics certification, that a woman has to obey her hushand in house, was never disrupted. Although the male is not smarter than the female in Lieh-Nu-Chuan, Liu-siang considered that an ideal male-dominated society is composed by basic idea that the female has to obey the male. Liu-siang praised a female who is good at assisting and willing to obey the male.