Term Paper on "Status of Women in Hinduism in India"

Term Paper 13 pages (3805 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

status of women in Hinduism and discusses it within a cultural and anthropological context.

Women have occupied a complex position in the Hindu system. While on the one hand, there have been legends glorifying her bravery, strength and sacrifice, on the other hand, she is ascribed to an inferior position in society in subordination to man. Woman has been portrayed as the ultimate ideal of purity and sacrifice throughout the ages in Hinduism. Hindu literature portrays a mixed depiction of women: as servants and goddesses, strumpets and saints, protected daughters and powerful matriarchs, shunned widows and worshiped wives.[Narayan, 2005]. But the over riding feature that determines the Hindu woman's position is determined by Hindu religious traditions and determined by the caste that she belongs to. More restrictions and expectations are tied to women of higher classes, while the women of the lower classes have a relatively freer status. The highest moral and behavioral standards are expected of women of the highest caste - Brahmins. The lowest caste that is classified as the untouchable "parayas" are also fettered but the chain that binds them is the bonds of society that shuns them as untouchables.

The position of women in Hindu society has changed considerably in modern times with the advent of modernity and technology, however she is still not on par with her contemporaries in the West. Modern laws have mitigated the tightly restricted position women occupied in Indian society to some extent, however there is still much that needs to be done to raise the status of women in Hinduism.

TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS of WOMEN in HINDUISM:

The fate of a woman is inextricably tied up with her man in every way. An ideal woman is considered to be one that is married - a sumangali or "auspicious [Narayan]. Traditional Hinduism dictates that women from North India perform the rituals of karva chauth (wherein women fast every Friday for the welfare of their husbands) and hoi ashtami, a ritual performed in October-November for the welfare of sons. No similar ritual exists in Hindusim for the benefit of daughters..Hindu society places restrictions on its women in many ways. A woman is sheltered under the male umbrella from the beginning of her life - first she is under the control of her father, upon her marriage this control is transferred to her husband and in later years, to her son. Hindu parents are anxious to discharge their responsibility of marrying off their daughter as early as possible, and this has resulted in the social evil of child marriage when girls are married as early as five or six years old. The practice of child marriage still exists in some villages in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India. Hindu women have been both empowered and subjugated by religious tradition over the centuries [Narayan]. Unquestioning obedience is expected from woman according to Hindu tradition - obedience, suffering and sacrifice have long been portrayed in Hindu culture as being the symbols that elevate the status of woman to that of a goddess. A Hindu woman is expected to remain pure and unsullied, ready and willing to subjugate herself to the will of the man in her life - in this she attains divine credits and demonstrates the strength of her faith. The ultimate aim of a Hindu woman is the prospect of marriage to a man. In the unfortunate event that her man dies, the Hindu woman is expected to follow her husband into his funeral pyre - this barbaric practice is referred to as Sati and is still practiced in some parts of India. Brahminical Hindu tradition has been marked by sanctions against women [Narayan] and the stigma of divorce and widowhood in society is one of the most important reasons why women endure and subject themselves to humiliation and eroding of their rights without protest, since they have been conditioned by Hindu society over the decades, to live within the religious and cultural parameters that have been established by males. The Hindu woman undoubtedly occupies an inferior position as compared to her male counterparts. Hinduism has been held responsible for the abuse of women and a wide range of evil social practices such as Sati, female infanticide, dowry deaths, caste and the concept of inferiority of women has been attributed to it [Malhotra, 2000].

The concept of the inferiority of women is irrevocably tied with the religious beliefs of Hinduism. Hindu society is divided into four castes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, with the highest caste being the priestly class. The exacting standards expected of women in the higher castes have enforced more religious sanctions on them such as child marriages, abuse of widows, prohibition of divorce and sanctions against widow remarriage [Narayan]. The Brahmins, being the priestly class, were considered about the purity of persons performing religious rituals in temples. Since women were afflicted with the curse of "menstruation," they were considered "polluted" from a religious and social standpoint and were forced to remain socially isolated during the tenure of their menstrual period.[Ilangovan, 2002]. In the village of Andipatti in Tamil Nadu, elders call this act of 'ostracisation' a traditional practice

Breaking the custom, they say, will mean incurring the wrath of the Goddess and will lead to excommunication from the caste. Menstruating women are forbidden from entering into the family shrine or temples during their periods. They were considered inferior to men because of this infirmity. Ancient Hinduism which derives from the Vedas, dictates many of the tenets and creeds for female behavior in Hindu society. A male's position is unquestionably superior and the woman subordinates herself to man throughout her life. Until recently, women were not even allowed to hold property in their names and family property traveled down through the generations from father to son. If no son was present, the property was transferred to the son in law, rather than the daughter. They had no powers or rights apart from the male member of their family under whose protection they were designated to remain.

STATUS of MODERN WOMAN in HINDU SOCIETY:

Religion still plays an important role in conditioning the status of women in Hinduism even today. Religion permeates every aspect of life and Hindus cling tenaciously to their traditional beliefs. Modern technology has not been able to completely alter centuries of religious conditioning that have characterized Hindu society and its customs and beliefs. The texts of religious law are this still the main basis for discrimination against women in a cultural and social context. Rituals, traditions and superstitions still condition Hindu society - even when Hindus live abroad in more technologically advanced societies, they continue to cling to their traditional, old fashioned beliefs on the inherent inferiority of women. The focus is on caste, cows and curry [Malhotra, 2000] and India's obsession with its outdated religious and cultural values has been blamed for many of society's ills. Studies have shown that the economic growth in a nation is directly proportional to the level of investment in female education [Dollar and Gatti, 1999] and the cultural and religious barriers to women's advancement in Hindu society are only being slowly addressed in recent years. Economic growth has also been proved to be slower in Hindu and Muslim societies as opposed to Western civilizations, due to the higher levels of gender inequality created by religious barriers and constraints [Dollar and Gaiit, 1999].

THE DOWRY SYSTEM:

Hinduism attempts to create social and domestic spaces that will help nurture the ideal of chaste Hindu womanhood. Arguments in favour of essentialism, biological determinism and Hindu notions of 'pativrata' are used to maintain unchanging separate privileges and functions for men and women. Men were to produce and women were to preserve. [Ghosh, 2002]. Therefore, the woman's position in society was perceived as the performance of a different function - her job was essentially to procreate and preserve, her domain was the home. The Hindu right harps on the traditional role of women in the family and looks upon feminism itself as an assault on traditional family and cultural values. {Ghosh, 2002]. The traditional status of women in Hindu society included her subordination to man and obedience to the will of her elders - she was not to exercise her free will, even in the choice of whom she would marry. The practice of arranged marriages is still prevalent in Hindu society. A women is traded and bartered like so much goods. The practice of dowry originated years ago and is conditioned by the religious cultural ethos of womanhood in Hinduism. This social practice also derives from the woman's inferior position in Hindu society. She does not have the right to make decisions for herself, and the custom of arranged marriage prevails in Hinduism, even today, where the parents of a girl select her bridegroom. In view of the fact that the girl is not permitted to hold property or possessions in her name - property inequality [Sen, 2001] and must submit them… READ MORE

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