THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE IN HINDUISM
WOMEN
Women
• The Vedas state it is a woman’s primary duty to help her husband perform obligatory duties and carry on the family tradition as well as birth and care for his children
• Women are always under the protection or ownership of their father or husband
• Hindu tradition states that married women have four roles, that of a:
• Servant (dasi
• Advisor/councellor (mantri)
• Mother (mata
• Lover (Rambha)
• As these gender roles and expectations are deeply rooted within Hindu culture and religious values it can be challenging for women to aspire to anything other than marriage and motherhood
• Despite this, more women are being included in the workforce (In 2011-2012, women comprised 14.7% of all urban workers, a small increase from 13.4% in 1972-73)[1] but inequalities such as literacy levels present challenges for many women’s further in the workforce as 51% of women are literate compared to 75% of men
• The continuation of some Hindu traditions such as dowries inhibit women from achieving equality as these cultural and religious traditions reduce women to property and something able to be owned