Woman in the ancient times???
Answers
Women in the Vedic and the post Vedic Periods:
The Indian cultural tradition begins with the Vedas. It is generally believed that the Vedic period is spread over from 300 BC to 600 B.C. Some general observations and broad generalization can only be made regarding the status of women during this vast period.
(i) Freedom Enjoyed By Women:
The degree of freedom given to women to take part in public activities indicates the nature of the status enjoyed by women during Vedic period. Women never observed “purdah”. They enjoyed freedom. They enjoyed freedom in selecting their male partner. They could educate themselves Widows were permitted to remarry. Divorce was however not permissible to them. Even men did not have the right to divorce their wives. Women were given complete freedom in family matters and were treated as “Ardhanginis”.
(ii) Equal Educational opportunities for women:
Daughters were never ill-treated although male children were preferred to female children. They also received education like boys and went through the “Brahmaachary” discipline including the “Upanayana” ritual. Women studied the Vedic literature like men and some of them like Lopamudra, Ghosa and Sikata-Nivavari figure among the authors of the vedic hymns. Many girls in well-to-do families used to be given a fair amount of education down to about B.C 300.
(iii) Position of Women in Matters Relating To Marriage and Family Affairs:
Marriage in the Vedic period was considered a social and religious duty and united the couple on an equal looting. Women had the right to remain spinsters throughout their life. Marriage was not forcibly imposed on them Child marriages were unknown. Girls were given in marriage only after puberty that too after completing their education women had the right to select their life-partners.
Often there were also love marriages called “Gandharva vivaha”. Monogamy was the form of marriage during the Vedic days. Re-marriage of widows was allowed. These are a number of references to custom of “Niyoga” where a brother or the nearest relative of a deceased husband could marry the widow with the permission of the elders.
Niyoga was mostly practiced to obtain a child for continuing the family tradition. Rig-Veda recognized the right of a spinster to inherit her father’s property. The practice of “Sati” is no where mentioned in the Rig-Veda. The practice of taking dowry was there but it was only symbolic. It had not emerged as a social evil,In family matters, though the custom and tradition invested the husband with greater powers in the management of the household, still in many respects they were regarded as equal of their husbands. Both husband and wife were regarded as the joint heads of the household. The wife was however expected to be obedient to the husband helping him in the performance of his duties including the religious ones.
(iv) Economic Production and occupational Freedom:
Vedic women had economic freedom. Some women were engaged in teaching work. Home was the place of production. Spinning and weaving of clothes were done at home. Women also helped their husbands in agricultural purists.
(v) Property Rights and Inheritance:
Women rights were very much limited in inheriting property. A married daughter had no share in her father’s property but each spinster was entitled to one-fourth share of patrimony received by her brothers. Women had control over gifts and property etc. received by a woman at the time of marriage but the bulk of the family property was under the control and management of the patriarch.
As a wife, a woman had no direct share in her husband’s property. However, a forsaken wife was entitled to 1/3rd of her husband’s wealth. A widow was expected to lead an ascetic life and had no share in her husband’s property. Thus it could be generalized that the social situation was not in favour of women possessing property and yet protection was given to them as daughters and wives.
The condition of women was very miserable in olden times.They had to face discrimination and social evils like sati system,ban on female education and child marriage made their lives even more miserable.