ANCIENT ASIAN ANCIENTS

Traditional Role of Women

A woman is considered to have only one goal in traditional Asia, to be a wife and a mother.

As a wife, a woman should be a faithful spouse and she should serve her husband.

Women in South Asia

The position of women in India is low.

They are considered as goods or things that can be sold

Women in South Asia

The daughter is not important because she gives a dowry or dowry when getting married. This means that the
wealth and property of his family is reduced. Because of this, female infanticide or deliberately taking the life of a
baby girl prevailed because women were considered as objects or tools.
Women in South Asia

• Arranged marriage is also traditional in India, girls are usually married at the age of 5 to 6 years.

Women in South Asia

• It is in Hindu law that a woman's partner should be three times the age gap between her and the man she will
marry. This is done to avoid the scandal of a woman having an affair before her fiance.

Women in South Asia

Out of respect for the husband, the husband can eat only after his wife has eaten.

Women in South Asia

• Performing suttee, a ritual in which the widow jumps over her husband's funeral pyre as a sign of love.
Women in East Asia
The low level of women reflects the custom of footbinding. This is a deliberate fracture of the arch of the foot so that
it does not grow normally. This type of foot is called Lotus feet or Lily feet. This is done while the girl is young. It is
said to be a standard of beauty in ancient China.

Women in East Asia

The Chinese man is looking for a woman with this foot to marry
Having Lotus Feet is also proof that the woman does not work. He is only at home and his wife can support him.
Only the son has the right to their family and property. And when the son is of legal age, his mother must obey him.
Women in East Asia
Another custom in China that lowered the status of women was concubinage or the taking of a husband by a woman
other than her husband.
The concubine is kept by the husband in their house. A husband has the right to have many concubines.
Women in East Asia
A woman's most important role is to give birth to babies, especially baby boys. Because of this, being barren or
unable to bear a baby can be grounds for divorce in China.
Women in West Asia
In Muslim society, there are customs that reflect the low status of women. This is the practice of Purdah which
means veil in Persian.
A woman is expected to conceal herself by wearing a burka, a loose-fitting garment with a veil.

Women in West Asia

The purpose of this custom is to remind that only her husband has the right to see her.
If the woman marries, she becomes part of the man's family. In this situation, the woman becomes subject to the
power of the mother-in-law.
Women in West Asia
Men can marry and marry several times or polygamy.

Women in Ancient Society

Compare the status of women according to Hammurabi's Code and Manu's Code using a

Manu's codes
Code of Hammurabi