The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c8.13

c8.13

When child and illiterate brides became the order of the day, the tone of the treatment which was given to them by their elders in their new homes began to change. Their legal status also had changed by this time. They had ceased to be queens in their new households; they were now regarded as pupils of their husbands, who themselves were still in the student stage. Being very young, inexperienced and nervous, they were naturally prone to commit mistakes in their household work and duties, and their mothers-in-law, who also were uneducated and narrow-minded, began to feel the temptation of showing their power and authority too strong. The daughter-in-law had not for a long time the consolation of even a glance or a word of affection of her husband. She had no opportunity to meet him in privacy, as her marriage could not for a long time be consummated on account of her being very young. The extent of the ill-treatment of the daughter-in-law is probably exaggerated, but there is no doubt that it did exist. We must, however, note that it was an age of authority; sons, daughters, daughters-in-law had all of them to bow down before the orders and decisions of their elders. The latter, however, though sometimes stern in their behaviour, had usually the welfare of their wards at their heart.