清代山西节孝妇女众多，这与重商风尚存在着相当密切的关系。大批男子出外经商谋生，造成异常的婚姻家庭状况。在忍受离散痛苦的同时，许多妇女独力撑持家计，为维护家庭婚姻的稳定以及解决整个社会的生存问题作出了重要贡献。

Large numbers of chaste widow and worthy daughters-in-law appeared in thee records of Shanxi province in Qing Dynasty. This important phenomenon was closely related to the ascendancy of merchants in Shanxi. Most of Shanxi businessmen who engaged in trade usually left their wives at home alone. As pitied victims, most of them independently cared for parents and raised their children without the help of their husbands. In this way, they contributed greatly to the stabilization of the whole society.