Hijras Of Indi Challenging The Sexually Dimorphic Construction Of Gender

Gender inequality has maintained the suppression of women worldwide and unfortunately has impacted third world countries with the greatest magnitude. Everyday in these countries there are countless occurrences of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that must be acknowledged as a primary concern for the world to help overcome. It is however important to recognize specific cultural and religious practices of gender hierarchy that are accepted by women in these countries. While keeping this in mind it is of paramount importance to keep sight of the consequences of abusing these cultural practices at the expense of women’s liberation and development.

na Nanda 's Neither Man Nor Woman is an ethnographic study about the lives of Indian men known as the hijras. Through interaction with the hijras and her study of Indian culture, Nanda provides a glimpse into a unique society and lifestyle. The author goes into detail about the lives of hijras, their treatment by Indian society, the economic and sexual implications of their existence and status within Indian culture. Nanda defines the hijras as “...the name given to a full-time female impersonator who is a member of a traditional social organization, part cult and part caste, of hijras, who worship the goddess Bahuchara Mata. Hijras may be eunuchs with partial surgical sex reassignment; their sexuoerotic role is as women with men.” (Nanda)

As the youngest south Asian girl in a family with traditional values expanding my understandings of social value and public health to race, ethnicity and sexuality is an exciting process. I am now studying my master at the University of Manchester in Gender, Sexuality and Culture. My ambition to gain more knowledge of the power systems of complex identities and social value has grown over the years at university. My interest in social value and public health studies arose from my research from my undergraduate degree at Coventry University. Exploring and challenging current cultural identities, in particular, those of ethnicity has been a personal interest of mine throughout my further education. My undergraduate dissertation explored the history of India and Hinduism and how the homophobic attitudes have affected British Asian attitudes in the Hindu community. Since my undergraduate dissertation, I am now exploring how men’s mental health is now in the process of de-stigmatization.

Indian men celebrated women’s roles in food providing and child bearing in religious ceremonies (64). Indian women unlike the English women of the seventeenth century had a voice. She was treated more as an equal. Even though there was still gender separation between Indian men and Indian women, in the responsibilities they share, the women were more respected. Indian women still didn’t have easy lives.

In all areas of life and society the treatment and well being of women have always been challenged. In many religions the role and status of its women are usually overwhelmed by the actions and roles of its men this inequality of religions between male and female allows these feelings and ideology of which sex is superior or inferior to bleed into a society’s culture thus shaping their treatment of their men and women.

Nonetheless, within the Hindu religion, women’s roles have evolved over time and women are going against the social norm of their tradition and their way of life in hopes of being treated in the same manner that Sikh women are within Sikhism (Desai, et al., 1995). Hindu women’s traditional roles in the household in India have changed over the past century. The influence of Western scholars as well as Sikhism views on women has brought change to the overall status and role of women in Hinduism so that Hindu women can be recognized in the same way that Sikhism women are. Western scholars who have studied Hinduism have written many books and articles on the sacred scriptures including reviews on the Vedas (hymns and ritual texts) and other religious scriptures that at one point were restricted from Hindu women.

Bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, asexual; these are all examples of different sexualities, and identities. One of the biggest problems with society today is that many people are resistant, sometimes violent, towards the unknown. People identify in many different ways, as many different things. Some ways of life do not allow a lifestyle straying from straight men, and straight women; being taught this from a young age for an entire lifetime will strike fear and hatred into the hearts of those who encounter otherwise. Other cultures, such as the Navajo people, celebrate these differences with love and overwhelming support. Individuals portraying both as their given sex at birth, and as the opposite sex (cross-dressing, referring to themselves with a name generally given to the opposite sex, using different pronouns, etc.) are given special titles (Two

Across the globe, women of all walks of life are constantly oppressed by their male counterparts, shamed for actions frowned upon simply because of the double standards they are assigned since birth. In many cultures, women are viewed below men, and as a result they are forced to cater to all of the unfair expectations that men demand from them. One of the most popular and universal expectations is the belief that a woman must retain her virginity until marriage. In Half The Sky, women who disobeyed these unwritten laws of society faced the most extreme and harsh consequences. In one instance, a girl named Du’a Aswad went out late with a boy, and didn’t return until the morning. It was immediately assumed that she had slept with him, despite

This essay will argue that the likelihood of harm will increase if it were a male student requesting to be reassigned from his female partner because there are unlying negative connotations relating female gender that would be in some sense be supported by the professor if he/she was to accommodate this request. This may lead to the female student feeling that this decision was based on ideologies of gender that placed masculinity on a superior level than femininity. This claim may be highly contested by men’s rights activists who increasingly advocate against the demonization of the male gender ( Sundaram 2014). But while it is important to have equality between the male and female genders, it also important to acknowledge that differentiation of gender often relates to the objectification of women. Differences in gender cannot be understood solely based on biological terms. Patriarchal ideologies have become deeply rooted through historical structures and are further perpetuated through the everyday actions of individuals in society. Gender differences can be used to describe a binary relationship and can be a primary field within which or by means of which power is articulated. Therefore gender is not obsolete in the discussion of social relations. As a result, religious accommodation

Islam and Daoism are influential forms of thought that serve as the focal point of their respective cultures, influencing social interactions within their religious following. From an analysis of both holy and secular literature involving rules concerning marriage, an understanding of the cultures structuring can be derived as well as the degree to which each values femininity and masculinity. While neither of the forms of thought can truly be said to be egalitarian, women in Islamic cultures enjoyed a greater degree of agency in relation to their Daoist counterparts. This implicates that Islam has developed a culture that places a greater social value upon femininity in relation to Daoism. The Daoist perspective paints a much bleak

Traditionally, an Indian woman had only four roles and those were; Her role as a daughter, wife, sister, and lastly, a mother. The women in today’s time however are experiencing far reaching changes and are entering into new fields that were unknown to them. They are actively participating in social, economic and political activities. Unlike the older times, women today have received higher education.

An often controversial issue within politics is how woman are viewed and treated in the Hindu religion. The role of woman in Hinduism is often disputed and positions range from quite reasonable to highly antagonistic. An often overlooked aspect is that, Hinduism is more of a way of life then a Religion. This is because Hinduism requires that we see the same reality in all the diversity of creation; that we see the same Self in all beings. Hindu women within this religion would view themselves as an important part of the family, but this is not shown through the contents of the Manusmriti. The Manusmriti directly translated is “Laws of Manu,” or “Institutions of Manu,” is regarded as the foundational

Gender segregation is still common in the Middle East and both genders are expected to fulfill their designated roles within society. There is a lot of pressure for both genders to marry and to not do so is considered “social disaster”. Arranged marriages are not uncommon, especially among the more traditional families (Whitaker) and in this relationship, men are generally considered the “active” partners while their wives are the “passive” partners (Tolino 5). These ideas are prominent throughout society in the Middle East and create problems for individuals who do not conform to their assigned roles, specifically members of the LGBT community. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, although all gender and “sexual minorities” are considered part of this community (Human Rights Watch 69). LGBT individuals face struggles all around the world, but their problems are more pronounced in the Middle East, where the concept of homosexuality is vastly different than in the West. People in the Middle East generally view homosexuality as a “Western invention” and there is no clear distinction between “sex” and “gender”. The classification of an individual as “gay” does not always relate to “a physical act with someone of the same gender”. A male could be considered “gay” simply for not conforming to gender roles or acting feminine (Simmons 1). In the Middle East, members of the LGBT community face extreme inequality, primarily in the form of homophobic laws with

Religion is a major cornerstone of human identity and culture. Anywhere you look on earth where there are people, there is a religion or set of beliefs that those people follow. Many times, the teaching of these Religions can be twisted and manipulated to justify gender bias. The Simple truth is people are treated very differently based on their Gender by followers of two of the most popular religions in the world: Islam and Judaism. I am going to examine some ways the teaching of these two major religions are used to oppress, abuse, and differentiate women.

Islam is a religion based on the interpretation and application of fundamental scriptures geared towards the need of a growing, modernizing religious community. The Qur’an and the Prophet Mohammed’s Sunnah and hadith serve as the main sources for attaining religious knowledge. Scholars of Islam, Ulema, delegated a mechanism in which they can gain knowledge after they have consulted the Quran and Sunnah through ijtihad and qiyas. The flexibility with which they can use reason, ijtihad, and analogies, qiyas, to answer questions of the time created doctrines that shed light onto the growing concerns within the Muslim community. This methodology has served to provide a path in which religious scholars can apply Islam to the changing dynamics of gender roles. The modernizing world provided the framework for female scholars to enter the field of religious study and interpret Islam on their own. Drawing on their reasoning and their ability to make analogies to stories within Islam helped women develop sound arguments within Islam that codified women’s rights. Muslim feminist used the religion of Islam as the backbone of their movement by highlighting their rights and freedoms within Islamic scripture. They opened the gates of ijtihad to reevaluate scripture pertaining to their rights in a marriage free from the nuisances of male scholars. Religious tools in extracting knowledge within the folds of Islam allowed women to challenge existing marriage norms and gender roles based in