Tai tai is a Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 colloquial term for a wealthy married

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 woman who does not work. It is the same as the Cantonese title for a married woman.

Cultural significance

The term has become well-known, and features in Western discussions in the field of Women's studies

Women's studies

Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...

. Although it originally referred to the wife of highest status in a polygamous

Polygamy

Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...

 marriage, this meaning has fallen away, so that it now refers simply to a privileged

Social status

In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....

, wealthy lady.