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Unlock This CourseIn the lessons Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Disability: Rights, Opportunities and Bias you met equal rights, equal opportunities and bias. In Varna, Caste and Gandhi's Salt March you saw that Hindu teaching about the atman supports equality. Now we look at women and at people with a disability in Hinduism.
Key terms:
You have met Shakti, the divine power that Hindus honour as a goddess (see Brahman: Nirguna and Saguna). Hindus worship goddesses such as Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Many Hindus say this shows women are to be respected as the source of power and life.
Traditionally, stri dharma meant that a woman cared for the family and the home. Mothers and grandmothers taught children prayers, stories and festival customs, so women have been the main carriers of the faith in many households. Marriage roles are covered in Marriage in Hindu Communities and Hindu Family Life and the Community.
Women have also led. Mirabai left behind songs of devotion to Krishna that Hindus still sing, even though her family disapproved. Today some women are gurus, spiritual teachers, with followers of all ages. Mata Amritanandamayi, known as Amma, is one well-known example. In some Hindu communities women now train and serve as priests, though many temples still have only men as priests.
Women's lives in India and in the UK have changed. Women work in all kinds of jobs and take part in public life. In India, Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, and Pratibha Patil became President in 2007. Hindu women in the UK work in all kinds of jobs and also take part in the life of the mandir.
Hindus hold different attitudes, and there are reasons for them.
The Laws of Manu says that women should be protected by their father, then husband, then sons. Some Hindus read this as saying a woman's proper place is in the home and under a man's care, so they accept different roles for men and women.
The same text says that where women are honoured, the gods are pleased. Many modern Hindus stress this teaching and the equal atman in everyone. They say that the protection verses reflect the society of their time and should not limit women today.
Other reasons for different views include whether a family follows tradition or modern ideas, how much education people have, and whether they live in a village, a city or another country.
Gender bias means treating women as less important than men. Some Hindu communities have shown it. Examples include a preference for having sons, girls getting less education, the dowry custom (gifts demanded from a bride's family at marriage) and, in the past, child marriage and the practice of sati, where a widow died on her husband's funeral fire.
Many Hindus have worked against this bias. Ram Mohan Roy campaigned against sati in the 1800s, and it was banned in 1829. Reformers promoted education for girls, and the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 made demanding dowry illegal in India. Today many Hindu women's groups and charities help girls to stay in school and to find work. Gandhi also encouraged women to take a full part in public life.
Key terms:
Hindus believe the atman is the same in everyone, whatever the condition of the body or mind. So a person with a physical or mental disability has equal worth.
Hindus have a duty to serve and care for those in need. Many Hindu temples and charities run schools, care homes and clinics, and many Hindus see helping people with a disability as a duty.
Some people have linked disability with karma from a past life (see Samsara, Karma and Reincarnation in Hinduism). Many Hindus stress that karma must never be used to blame a person or to excuse a lack of care.
Hindus have different attitudes. Some families in the past felt shame or hid a disabled relative, which is a form of bias. Others point to the sage Ashtavakra, whose name means "eight bends" and who, in tradition, had a bent body but became a respected teacher of a king, to show that wisdom has nothing to do with the body.
Examples of support: India's Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 sets out equal rights for people with a disability, and many Hindu organisations run schools and training for them.
(a) Identify three Hindu goddesses, people or texts mentioned in this lesson that are linked to the status of women. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two Hindu attitudes to people with a disability. [4 marks]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why there are different attitudes to the role of women in Hinduism. [6 marks]
(d) "Religious communities should treat women and men in exactly the same way." Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
(a) 1. Shakti (1) 2. Mirabai (1) 3. Laws of Manu (1) (Durga, Lakshmi or Saraswati would also score.)
(b) Hindus believe the atman is the same in everyone (1), so people with a disability have equal worth (1). Hindus also teach seva, serving others (1), so many Hindus run schools or care for people with a disability (1).
(c) Some Hindus follow traditional readings of the Laws of Manu, which says women should be protected by their father, husband and sons, and the idea of stri dharma, that a woman's duty is the home and family. They accept different roles for men and women. Other Hindus stress the teaching that where women are honoured the gods are pleased, and that Shakti is worshipped as divine power. They say women should have equal opportunities, and point to women such as Mirabai, women gurus and women priests. Attitudes also differ because of education and where people live, such as a village in India or a city in the UK. This is why there are different attitudes to the role of women in Hinduism. (6)
(d) Plan. For: the atman is equal in everyone; Shakti is honoured; modern Hindus read the Laws of Manu as saying women should be honoured; equal laws in India and the UK; women gurus and priests. Against: stri dharma gives women and men different but valued roles, so "exactly the same" may be too strong; some temples have only male priests; some Hindus follow traditional readings. Possible conclusion: equal rights and respect are supported by Hindu teachings, but "exactly the same" depends on whether roles need to match or only to be of equal worth. A strong answer picks a side and gives the deciding reason.
In (c), "different" means contrasting views. Give a traditional reason and a modern reason, and use one named text or example for each.