The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c16.2

c16.2

In the course of the last ten chapter, we have surveyed different sides and activities of women's life. We are now in a position to ascertain and understand the general attitude of Hindu society towards the fair sex. The problem is, however, a complicated one. We have seen already that the general position and status of women were changing from age to age, and so naturally the attitude of society towards them could not remain the same in different periods. We have therefore to note and account for the vicissitudes in the attitude of society. A further difficulty of a more serious type arises from the nature of the data on which we have to rely. In the same century and in the same province, we sometimes come across diametrically opposite views about the worth, nature and importance of women. One school is seen declaring that the woman is the highest gift of God to man, while the other is seen asserting that the best way to reach God is to avoid woman. It is not an easy task to determine which of these contending views represented the opinion of the community. And we cannot exclude the possibility of the views of the average man not being adequately expressed in the din of this wordy warfare between the extremists of the opposite camps.