Question

describe the status of women in ancient/medieval/modern in detailed explanation

Answer 1

Women In India Ancient Period :
From the available
documentation, it is revealed that women
enjoyed a fair amount of freedom and
equality with men in the fields of education
and religion during the Vedic period. In the
Vedic period, women from higher sections
of society were given equal rights in the
field of religion, aand they attained
distinction in the realm of theological
studies and philosophy. Distinguished
women such as Gargi and Maitrayee are
well-known names of this period who
excelled as scholars in their own right.
During the ancient period, there were icons
such as Sita, Damayanti, Draupadi and three
of the Panchkanyas,
Ahilya,Tara,Mandodari,who are still
remembered with great reverence in Indian
society it was in the later period,
approximately 500 BC, the status of women
gradually declined with the Smritis and
other religious texts giving diktats which
adversely affected women’s freedom and
rights. With the rise of Brahaminism and
due to confliiting religious and social
thoughts, the place of women remained
subordinate and unsatisfactory. buddhism
and Jainism, however, contied to give a
place of honour to women. Women were
eligible for admission to the religious order
in both Buddhism and Jainism . Bhikshuni
sanghamitra was one of the main proponents
of Buddhism of her time.

Women in india medival period:
With the coming of Muslim
rule, medieval India witnessed enhanced
dependency of women on men. The Islamic
custom of Purdah (veiling of women) forced
the public world to be separated from the
private world, with women confined to the
latter. Following its subjugation by the
Muslims, and fearing adverse outcomes for
its women, a large part of the Hindu India
accepted the practice of veiling. Through
this privatization, Indian women were forced
to trade their mobility for safety. Repeated
invasions by the Muslims further pushed the
2) Ibid, p.p.15
Indian women towards
inhuman “traditions” such as child marriage,
the dowry system, purdah and sati (the
immolation of the widow on the dead
husband’s pyre). The challenge of Islamic
aggression also made Hindu India defensive
and introverted causing a desperate return to
orthodox Hindu beliefs and practices and
further constraining the status of Indian
women. Thus, during the medieval period,
Indian women lost their earlier status and
were at the lowest ebb.
However, women like Razia
Begum rose to become a ruler, Chand Bibi,
Tara Bai and Ahaliya Bai Holker, left their
great imprints for their ruling capabilities. In
Bhopal also, Begums or princesses ruled.
With the advent of Islam, once again,
women like Jahanara, Begum Mumtaz and
Noor Jahan enjoyed respectable positions in
the country. These remarkable ladies though
strict Muslims, publicly administered justice
with their faces covered by veils or burkas.3


Women In India Modern Period :
In the modem period, the
status of Indian women can be divided into
two distinct periods, the British rule, i.e.
Pre-Independent India and the Post-
Independent India.