Essay about Roles of Women in Vedic Culture

Religion is a powerful tool for people to help them learn and flourish in a nurturing environment, but has been dominated by men for centuries and many passages from holy strictures benefits male figures only and women are expected to be treated like second class citizens, and are required to obey their husband. But biblical figures such as Lilith (first wife of Adam) and historical legends like (Enheduanna, Priestess and Daughter of King Sargon) have changed the discriminating views and have empowered women to become activist and to contribute their opinions and thoughts to society. So my essay is not only observing and analyzing Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam but to see how women were treated throughout history and how empowerment and love helped create the feministic views of modern

The role of women in Hinduism is also a very contentious topic in the world today. Although women are gaining some freedom in society in India, it is known that females have a history of being oppressed in India. Women of the Hindu faith in particular have been viewed as the minority sex as Hinduism is predominantly a male dominated religion. As Hinduism has no set sacred text Hindus are free to follow whatever text they want and each text or set of teachings have different views about women. For the purpose of this essay, I will be discussing the view of women according to the Vedas. As young children girls are under the protection of their fathers and when they get married they are under the protection of their husbands. The Vedas, which

Throughout the history of society, women and men both have faced the constricting roles forced upon them, from a young age; each gender is given specific social and cultural roles to play out throughout their lives. Little girls are given dolls and kitchen toys, little boys are given dinosaurs and power tool toys, if one was to step out of this specified role, social conflict would ensue. Contrast to popular belief, sex is a biological construct, and gender is a social construct specifying the roles men and women are to follow to be accepted into society as “normal”. The effects of gender roles have had on women have proved harmful over the decades. Although the woman’s involvement in society has improved throughout the decades,

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.

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.

For my final paper I will be comparing and contrasting how women were affected and regulated by the Code of Hammurabi and the Laws of Manu, and will examine the mythological evidence and materials related to Ancient Mesopotamian polytheism, Egyptian polytheism, and Hinduism. The Laws of Manu were compiled over the years between 200 - 400 C.E. While the position of women in early Vedic India had been good, these laws illustrate the efforts of the Brahmin elite to restrict women’s legal independence in this later period. Both the laws of Manu and Hammurabi were related to marriage, family law, and the ways in which female

Candomblé, which translates as “dance in honor of the gods”, is a syncretic folk mixture religion largely headed and adhered to by women, making it one of the most woman-centered religions of modern time. In this essay I will explore the history and roots of Candomblé, explaining the fusion of different beliefs and traditions that make up this religion. Furthermore, I will explain the multitude of roles within the Candomblé community and the high status enjoyed by women adherents. Finally, I will provide my reflection and insight on Candomblé as a matriarchal religion and it’s ability to uplift and empower women around the world.

Ever since the creation of man, the male sex has dominated historic social-sexual hierarchies. In humankind’s creation according to the bible, women (Eve) sinned by misbehaving towards her lord and savior. As Islam is heavily based on Christianity, did this ideology develop this stigma toward women in society? Do societies follow one another in their way of thinking? Delving deep into historic texts such as Ban Zhao’s Lessons for Women, The Laws of Manu, The Code of Hammurabi and a collection of songs from Buddhist nuns may provide insight into these questions.

Though church men had man other men believe that they had more of a responsibility then any women in the middle ages . Because it was claimed that women were weaker then any man , as it was the majority of the females had no weapon training or fighting skills so they were often waker because they weren't allowed to part take in any dangers activities that could end their life. but for a women involvement in sexual activity if they had a Christian religion they to stay elaborate until marriage. but in those times man often took advance of single incident women in which was taking something that only her husband come take. it was stated that women were surprisingly if they were then able to up hold the standards of any man. for the most part the participation of womanise lustfulness that didn't lead to tolerate women non marital involvement in sexual activity. but did lead to such a high risk because it came as a high risk. which meant that women were able to kept it under strict control.The Judaism law theory in which allowed any man to divorce a wife , if she was unfaithful and went into public with an uncovered head. but because of such harsh penalties meant that the female was to only follow the orders or her husband if she was

Gillian Clark’s book on, Women in Late Antiquity: Pagan and Christian Lifestyles is a patchwork constructed from the legal and medical texts of the era. Clark makes it abundantly clear; that this book is like a kaleidoscope of the somewhat colorful and comical limited written knowledge of women of the period. In most cases the history was recorded by the biased slant of the male-dominated society. Clark points out in her introduction,

By analyzing what ancient rabbinic and early Christian texts depict about what it means for one to encompass in spiritual embodiment and purity, the asymmetry seen between men and women is depicted as men have a higher status compared to women. By taking in account the cultural norms seen within the ancient rabbinic and early Christian text, the perspectives on male homoeroticism by rabbis and virginity for Christian women are seen in contrast with each other. It is revealed within these texts that a woman renouncing sex and becoming more “manly” is more acceptable compared to the tension that arises with homoeroticism among men, who are portrayed becoming like a woman. This reoccurring idea that womanhood in these cultures and societies are deemed in a negative and inferior compared to manhood, which is

In the beginning of the war, around 1941, most American women lived as their mothers previously had. Women were supposed to have jobs just until they were married and those who did work after they were married or were mothers were regarded with a sense of pity and scorn from society. In a pre-war poll, 82 percent of Americans believed a wife should not work if her husband did. A majority of Americans believed there should have been a law to prohibit it since rural and city women, alike spent about 50 hours a week on household chores alone.

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

Women in Buddhism The role of women in religion, especially Eastern religions, is a strange one. Western religions are fairly straightforward about a women's place. For example, most Western religions (excluding the Roman Catholic Church) allow women in leadership roles within the religious community. Judaism allows women rabbis, most Christian religions allow women ministers, and even Islam, which does not allow women mullah, have had many influential female sufi's throughout Islamic history.