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In Buddhism the place of women is an inferior one, which stems from traditional, cultural, and social values of Asia. Although females can accumulate good karma, they can rarely attain Nirvana and therefore must wait until they are born as men. In Hinduism the role of women is downgraded as well and no act is to be done according to her will. A woman must always be cheerful and clever in the household business and keep the furniture well cleaned. She must always have a free hand. She must have only one husband, even if he dies.
If a woman commits adultery, she must be burned to death and all property a couple may acquire belongs to the male. In Hinduism, a woman is a form of energy (shaktiswarupini) or an aspect of Shakti. She is mata, the Mother Goddess, or devi the auspicious one. As a young child, she is kenya, the goddess Durga.
As a wife, she is path and saha dharma chain, a partner in her husbands religious duties. As a mother she is worthy of worship (matrudevobhava). As a child, woman is supposed to remain in the custody and care of her parents. After woman is getting married, she becomes a property and responsibility of her husband, who is supposed to take care of her needs and expectations and keep her in his custody. As his wife, she performs four roles: as his servant (date) in duty, as his minister (matrix) in decision making, as a mother (mata) to his children and as a lover (ramada) in his bed. When woman becomes old, she lives in the house of one of her sons and has to lead a very solitary and forlorn life.
The role of women in Buddha is quite similar to the role of women in Hindu; however, there are some differences. Women were used to hold subordinate place in the society in which Buddha lived. The lives of women were dedicated to serve Buddha, but this all happened in the times of Buddha. With the flow of time women started to serve men instead of Buddha. A typical woman spent her youth serving and obeying her parents, her middle years serving and obeying her husband and his parents, and her old age serving and obeying her grown children. The role of women was inferior; however, women were very important in the society.
Women usually had to marry the husband chosen for them by their parents, although occasionally young women would be given the choice of several suitors. The literature also mentions occasional elopements, without the permission of parents. However, for the most part, daughters could be married off at the discretion of their fathers. Once married, women were supposed to obey their husband and his parents. Wives cooked, cleaned, bore and raised children, and looked after the servants. Women ate only what was left after the men had finished eating.
If a husband was displeased with his wife, he could beat her or throw her out of the house. Divorce could be initiated by the husband, but not the wife. Women were supposed to bear children for their husbands. If no children were forthcoming, the husband would often take another wife. Adulterous wives were punished with death, while adulterous husbands were not punished at all.
There were instances in which husbands would give their wives away to other men. Women were lowered nearly to the point of being mere chattel. Historically speaking, whether it was in ancient India or medieval India, the status of women in the subcontinent was never good. A present day woman would feel outraged, and rightly so, if she goes through the contents of the Manusmriti, which is particularly harsh against women and treats them with disdain and suspicion. In a changing world, Hindu society is trying to redefine the role of women in the institution of family and society. Politically Hindu women today enjoy an equal status with men and wider opportunities then their counterparts in many western countries.
There is a talk to provide them with new privileges and rights including inheritance rights. However, a lot still needs to be done on the social and economic front, because women in Hindu society still suffer from gender bias and a number of other problems such as dowry, inheritance, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, rape and harassment. Sources: web web
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Research essay sample on Role Of Women Hindu Society
