Patriarchy Of Ancient Indian Women

In current times in America, the role of women and the role of men is about equal. When it comes to home life, it’s just as common for women to go out and work as it is for a man to do it. Women have even run for President. However, in the Harappan society in ancient India, and in Sumerian times in ancient Mesopotamia, the equality and respect of women weren’t as strong as it is today. Regardless, women were respected to a certain level. Overall, the respect of women in ancient India was similar to the respect of women in Mesopotamia because goddesses were seen as powerful, young women were admired, and women were highly regarded for being able to give birth.

Gender roles in ancient Mesopotamia were clearly defined (teachmiddleeast.edu). Generally, men worked outside of the home and women stayed inside of the home while focusing on raising their children and keeping up with work that took place in the home. However, there were exceptions; we know of women who were “bartenders” and even women who were priestesses, but with limited responsibility. Due to the fact that some were from socially higher families and owned large amounts of property, those women were not allowed to marry. Women at the time were given much less freedom than men, however, women were more protected than men, which is seen in Hammurabi’s Code of Law, specifically in his 130th law:

Throughout human history, nearly every single society has been male dominated. From the first societies formed during the Neolithic revolution in 8000 b.c.e., to the developed countries and societies of the present day, it has simply been the role of men to protect and provide for the women of their community. Nearly every ancient civilization was governed by men - they began as the hunters and caretakers of their female counterparts, than organized and governed communities and cities; so, why would ancient Sumerian society be any different? It wasn't; ancient sumerian society, like most other ancient societies, was exclusively male dominated. The men in this society had many more rights and privileges than their female counterparts, they

Ramayana, translated by William Buck, is an ancient Indian epic telling the story of a prince named Rama who fights against his adversary, Ravana. Although there are many important female characters throughout the book, they are often seen as subordinate to their male counterparts where intelligence and strength are concerned. One character who proves this stereotype wrong is Sita, Rama’s wife, who often shows that she has the capacity of being just as powerful as the men of the story. By being more mindful than most people around her, Sita defies the expectations that many characters have placed on her. Sita lets the reader see another side of women’s power and shows us the strength that women could have. The reason that Sita proves to be powerful is that she seems to have an understanding of the deeper meaning of her life; precisely the quality that men don’t expect her to have.

Vali alludes to how Ravana captured Sita; He too did not fight Rama head on. Instead, Ravana hid and took Sita without Rama’s knowledge. In this scenario, Rama is just as sinister as Ravana, relying on subterfuge to achieve his goal. His imperfections start to emerge as it seems he acted out of haste and half-knowledge. The perfect image of Rama wavers under Vali’s story. Without Narayan’s critiques, the reader is only left with their own judgement and knowledge. However, Narayan brilliantly implants uncertain prejudgements about Rama’s actions, creating the ideal breeding ground for his imperfections to manifest. The “straw man” argument at play, unconsciously promotes Rama’s mistakes.

Women in second wave civilizations from China, Rome, and Greece around 600 BCE to 200 AC were treated very differently from each other and their male counterparts from this time, but they also shared some similarities. In this essay, I'll be exploring the differences from each other, and how women played a role in their civilizations during this time. Women in this time period don't have as many rights as they do today, but they still play a part in their civilizations/empires. So without further ado, let's see the similarities and differences between these civilizations.

The way women have been treated varies throughout time, in some time periods women were oppressed and fighting for rights, in others they were queens. In the ancient societies of Egypt and India, women were treated differently than men, although in different ways. In Egypt, women were still treated with respect and dignity, while in India the roles of women were to be submissive and compliant.

1. What is a patriarchal society? In what ways do the different civilizations we have studied exhibit patriarchy and how did they reinforce it (hint: Hammurabi’s code, Chinese philosophy, Ancient

Henrik Ibsen once said, “A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view.”(Notable Quotes) Ibsen’s statement exemplifies what life was like for women during ancient times. In many of the organized ancient civilizations, it was very common to find a primarily patriarchal civilization in government as well as in society. The causing factors can be attributed to different reasons, the main being the Neolithic Revolution and the new found dependence on manpower it caused. As a result of this, a woman found herself to be placed into an entirely different view in the eye of

From prehistory to 1450 CE, in many different and complex civilizations, religion has influenced the gender roles of many societies. From prehistory to 600 BCE, in Mesopotamia, women could own property, maintain their dowry, and even trade. However, from 600 BCE to 600 CE, in Rome, women were completely under the control of their paterfamilias. Than, from 600 to 1450 CE, in the Byzantine Empire, women were constrained to their homes, and when they went out, they had to wear veils over their faces. Religion influenced the gender roles of many societies and civilizations from prehistory to 1450 CE.

The epic portrayed a patriarchal society, where men had the majority of the roles. Throughout the epic men convey the qualities of a ruler and dominate over women when it comes

The accounts of honesty practiced in Dharma appear first when Sita proves her faithfulness to her husband Rama. Following the death of Ravana, Rama renounces Sita assuming that because she has lived in another man’s house she has committed adultery. In order to maintain her honor Sita jumps into a funeral pyre, customary for the widows of Hindu aristocrats, and commits suicide. However, because she is pure the fire god, Agni, rejects her asserting that “Sita has not the smallest fault, and she is innocent. Lakshmi of good fortune is your wife, and she loves you” and returns her back Rama who is now convinced of her innocence (Buck 364). Reunited with her husband, Sita demonstrates the perfect wife, telling Rama, “I am a fair free woman, I surrender to you of my own will, command me anything” (365). Sita’s act of faithfulness and Rama’s acceptance in taking her back displays the Dharma practice of honesty, which in the Hindu sense means the love of what is true. Sita’s honesty is not only highlighted as a characteristic of the perfect being but her truthfulness sets an example for future generations of women as to what constitutes the excellent quality for respectability of a women in Hindu society.

There is no hint of displeasure on her face as she diligently carries out her duty as an ‘ideal wife’. Also why should she have any objection for ‘as long as she lives, a woman’s God and master is her husband’. This scene emphasises the nature of a traditional marital relationship in Indian culture and the presumed duties of a woman as a wife. The text of the Ramayana is considered to be sacred and is followed religiously by people. If it happens to call a woman’s husband her master and God, its influence on the psyche of the people, especially the women, is self

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.

Dharma is the duty that people must fulfill in order to achieve their life’s purpose. In the Hindu religion, it is what guides the followers’ life choices and actions. Only the utmost just decisions and choices will lead down the path of obtaining dharma. At first glance, the Indian epic, The Ramayana, is a love story about a prince who is banished to the forest and an evil creature subsequently kidnaps his wife. However, it serves a much greater purpose in the Hindu culture. The Ramayana serves as a guide to living a life of moral righteousness. Rama and Sita are role models of how men and women should interact with each other and with society. There is multiple times throughout the epic that Rama faces morally difficult decisions that he flawlessly surpasses, a feat that his human peers surely would not have had the mental strength to accomplish. Rama is the supreme example of how to live a moral life. Rama’s dharma is to destroy evil, and throughout the book the difficult choices he makes and the heroic actions her performs are what guide him in his quest to fulfill his duty. Other characters in the epic, such as Ravana, are faced with the same moral dilemmas and chose incorrectly, which ultimately lead to their demise. Rama’s profound greatness is a result of his ability to place dharma above all other humanly desires and personal interests.