Status of Women in Vedic Period

Abstract

During the Rig Vedic period, women were treated equally to their male counterparts in terms of status and position. Only married men with their spouses were permitted to perform religious rites on numerous occasions. Women have not only had equal position but have been described as more than the better half in the scriptures, a status that she has lost with the passage of time. In Vedic civilization, women were revered and valued not only as mothers who brought up new generations, but also as individuals with immense ability to see the truth and contribute greatly to human society. In the early Vedic period, women received adequate education. Women were free to choose their husbands and "Swayamvar" provide them with the choice. Even though the patriarchal system was prevalent in ancient India, women were treated with respect and devotion. There was abstract of women engaged in battle field in Rig Veda. The Hindu faith has been attacked for increasing male-female inequity due to the detrimental status of women. This assumption is erroneous. Women were regarded as mother goddess (Shakti) in the Vedic Period (1500-1000 BC), a symbol of life with enormous ability for tolerance and sacrifice, and so they held a respectable place in society. Women were associated with property in the Epics and Puranas. Even Buddhism didn't help women much. Manu ordered that a woman would be reliant on her father in childhood, her spouse in youth, and her son in old age. We should follow Vedic advice to empower women in society.