status of women during Vedic, Post-Vedic and Medieval period.

1. Women and the laW
StatuS of Women in Vedic, PoSt-
Vedic and medieVal Period.
Submitted to- Submitted by-
Dr. Parul Pareek Itisha Jain
(FOL) LL.M.

2. introduction
Male and Female, the two basic components of our human society,
depend upon each other and each one of them constitutes about half
of the population. Over years sociologists and other scholars have
tried to assess the problems faced by women and to study changes
in their status around the globe in general and in Indian society in
particular. We find that man and woman have been established as
the two wheels of a chariot.
The status represents the
position of individual in
the group. The word
status denotes the
position of an individual
in a system with
attendant rights and
duties. It is the position
which the individual
occupies in the group by
virtue of his or her sex,
age, family, occupation,
marriage and
achievement.
StatuS
The status of women refers to her position in the network
of social role structure, privileges, rights and duties. It
refers to her rights and duties in family and social life.
The status of a woman is generally measured in the
comparative amount of prestige and respect accorded to
her with that of man.
The status of Hindu women in India has been fluctuating. It has gone through several changes during
various historical stages. Historically speaking, women in India have passed through two phases of
their life – the period of subjugation and the period of liberation. At times she has been suppressed
and oppressed and at times she is regarded as the deity of the home. From the Vedic age till today, her
status and position has been changing with the passing of time.

3. StatuS of Women in Vedic Period
During the Vedic Period women enjoyed
a fair amount of freedom and equality.
The Vedic period can best be termed as
the period of feminine glory and
prestigious life. Women participated in all
the spheres like men. The Rig-Vedic
society was a free society. The Aryans
evidently preferred male child to female
child. However, females were as free as
their male counterparts.

4. .
Education
Education was equally open for boys and girls. Girls studied the Vedas and fine
arts.
Vedic literature praises the birth of a scholarly daughter in these words:
"A girl also should be brought up and educated with great effort and care."
(Mahanirvana Tantra)
Women, who so desired, could undergo the sacred thread ceremony or 'Upanayana'
(a sacrament to pursue Vedic studies), which is only meant for males even to this
day. The mention of female scholars and sages of the Vedic age like Atreyi,
Romasa, Gargi, Khona, Visvara, Indrani in the Vedic era corroborates this view.
These highly intelligent and greatly learned women, who chose the path of Vedic
studies, were called 'brahmavadinis', and women who opted out of education for
married life were called 'sadyovadhus'.
Co-education seems to have existed in this period and both the sexes got equal
attention from the teacher. Moreover, ladies from the Kshatriya caste received
martial arts courses and arms training.

5. .
Property Rights and
Women
Unmarried daughters had share in their fathers’ property. Daughter
had full legal rights in the property of her father in the absence of
any son. Mother’s property, after her death, was equally divided
among sons and unmarried daughters. However, married women
had no share in father’s property. As a wife, a woman had no direct
share in her husband’s property. A widowed mother had some
rights.
Marriage and Women
In the Vedic age there was both the custom of 'Kanyavivaha' where the
marriage of a pre-puberty girl was arranged by her parents and 'praudhavivaha'
where the girls were married off after attaining puberty. Then there was also
the custom of 'Swayamvara' where girls, usually of royal families, had the
freedom to choose her husband from among the eligible bachelors invited to
her house for the occasion.

6. .
Wifehood in the Vedic Era
After marriage, the girl became a 'grihini'
(wife) and was considered 'ardhangini' or one
half of her husband's being. Both of them
constituted the 'griha' or home, and she was
considered its 'samrajni' (queen or mistress)
and had an equal share in the performance of
religious rites. Men and women together
performed religious duties, enjoyed and carried
out their functions.
Divorce, Remarriage & Widowhood
Divorce and remarriage of women were allowed under very special
conditions. If a woman lost her husband, she was not forced to undergo
the merciless practices that cropped up in later years. She was not
compelled to tonsure her head, nor was she forced to wear red sari and
commit 'sahagamana' or dying on the funeral pyre of the dead husband. If
they chose to, they could live a life of a 'sanyasin' or hermit, after the
husband passed away.
In Mahabharta the wife has been called out the root
of Dharma, prosperity and enjoyment. No man was
allowed to perform the religious duties without his
wife

7. In the post- Vedic period the status of women suffered a setback when various restrictions were
put on woman’s rights and privileges by Manu. This decline dates back to the period of the
Manusmriti and the increasing authority of man. The birth of a daughter which was not a source of
anxiety during the Vedic period became the source of disaster for the father. The birth of the
daughter. The birth of a daughter was considered inauspicious, while that of a son was an occasion
for rejoicing.
StatuS of women in PoSt-
Vedic Period
Education
Education, which
had been an
accepted norm for
women, was
neglected and later
on girls were
totally denied
access to
education.
Property
rights
The law givers recognized the right of
property, particularly that which was known
as Streedhan, women’s property.

8. StatuS of women in medieVal Period
Indian women's position in society further deteriorated during the medieval period,when
child marriages and a ban on remarriage by widows and Sati pratha became part of social life
in some communities in India. The Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent brought
purdah to Indian society. Among the Rajputs of Rajasthan, the Jauhar was practiced.
Polygamy was practiced among Hindu Kshatriya rulers for some political reasons. In many
Muslim families, women were restricted to Zenana areas of the house.
The former Hindu practice of
a widow throwing herself on
to her husband's funeral pyre.
Sati
pratha Jauhar refers to the practice of voluntary
immolation by wives and daughters of defeated
warriors, in order to avoid capture and consequent
molestation by the enemy. The practice was
followed by the wives of defeated Rajput rulers,
who are known to place a high premium on honour.
Evidently such practice took place during the
Islamic invasions of India.
Jauhar

9. .
Purdah is the practice among some communities
requiring women to cover themselves so as to conceal
their skin and form from males. It imposes restrictions
on the mobility of women, curtails their right to interact
freely, and is a symbol of the subordination of women
Purdah system
dowry
A gift given to or for a wife.
A husband having more than one
wife is called polygamy.
Polygamy

10. CONCLUSION
• Women in Vedic age were respected, had freedom to choose to lead a
family life. This is the golden period for women in India.
• The Vedic period is characterized by the absence of purdah system, equal
rights in selection life partners, polygamy being rare. A widow could marry
again. There was no discrimination between a boy and a girl. Women
were given proper education and freedom during epic age.
• In Post-Vedic period the status of women fell and suffered a setback. They
were not considered equal to men and did not enjoy the same rights and
privileges as men. Knowledge of the Vedas became limited among
women. Wives became silent partners of religious ceremonies. Purdah
system was emerged.
• Medieval period is the darkest in the history of Indian women in general.
Exploitation of women in the form of early marriage, female infanticide
enforced widowhood etc. caused several detrimental effects of women.