The Position of Women in India

The women have held different status and position at different times in India. She was regarded as
mentally inferior to man. Manu was of the view that the females should not enjoy any freedom in any
walk of life. They should ever remain under the strict control of their father during girlhood; of their
husband during their married life and of their sons during widowhood.

The women could freely participate in the religious and public life during the Vedic Period. The couple
jointly performed the sacrifices. A son's birth always gave greater joy than the daughter's birth. The
brotherless married girls enjoyed the right of inheri- tance. The women could attend the social
gatherings and freely meet and converse with strangers. The bride was most heartily welcomed. She
reigned supreme over the household. The could chant the Vedic Mantras. A window could remarry her
own brother-in-law at her sweet will. She stood high in the public. Even if she overstepped moral laws
she was judged mildly and with sympathy. She was her husband's helpmate in all the domestic affairs.
The society was tolerant. Even the sons of a maiden were accepted by the society. The son was known
as the boat of salvation but all the performances remained incomplete without the woman's
participation.

Later on she lost her place in the religious sphere. The daughter's birth was despised. Social laws and
customs stamped her with a sort of mental deficiency. The luckless girl was treated as an intruder and
was killed in certain tribes even in infancy. She was strictly confined to home and domestic cares. She
was not to be relied upon in matters of serious concern. She had no free hand in expenditure