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Gender Roles In Hinduism

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Shakti is the supreme being that represents all the female Goddesses in Hinduism. Every God in the Hindu religion has their Shakti ,who is the source of all their power. There are very few religions that hold a female figure up to such a high and supreme regard in sacred historical texts. The major religions like, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam refer to male figures as the Gods or Prophets in their sacred texts. Even if females are mentioned, they are usually subordinate to the male Gods and Deities. This idea of male dominance in religious mythological history is not commonplace in the Hindu religion. The Vedic texts in Hinduism seem to be aligned with feminist ideas and in turn indicate that they would cultivate a society that had great respect for women. …show more content…

India has become a society that is not only surrounded by issues of gender inequality, but the sheer lack of respect for women has led it to be a terrifying place for the women and girls in the country. This paper will analyze how the role of women was drastically changed from the Vedic times after the introduction of sacred Hindu texts like the Vedic Folklore and the Laws of Manu. Hindu followers worship female Goddesses like Devi and Lakshmi, but condemn women in their own homes because of the dharma (duties) imposed on them through certain Hindu texts. This conflict of feminism in the Hindu religion versus gender inequality in society shows how religious Hindu texts led to the separation of Hindu Goddesses and Hindu women. In India, only men are seen as godly, while women are seen as their devotees. This question of why such discriminatory gender roles exist in the Hindu culture can be seen through their acceptance of certain Hindu propaganda into their daily lives, and the rejection of the idea of female power in the real, modern

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