The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c13.45

c13.45

It is interesting to note that gifts given by non-relatives subsequent to the marriage, and the wages earned by the wife for her work are not included in Strīdhana¹. The exclusion of these two items is not difficult to understand. It was not advisable to encourage women to solicit presents from outsiders, for it would have led to serious complications in families presided over by jealous husbands. Inclusion of wages in Strīdhana would also have been unfair. They were usually earned only by the women of the working classes, whose budgets can never be balanced even today without including the earnings of women and children. Under these circumstances it would have been manifestly unfair to credit the wife's wages to her Strīdhana and call upon the husband to shoulder the entire burden of the' family. Hindu jurists felt that the earnings of both the husband and the wife should be dedicated to the needs of the family. They have, however, failed to provide relief to the wife in case her husband were to squander his own earnings and compell the wife to support the family by her own wages. The law is still defective on this point and requires to be amended.