A Hindu women
A Hindu woman is half-way between a Western woman and a Muslim woman. She does not have as many freedoms as a Western woman has(especially sexual freedom) but has more freedom than a Muslim woman. In a traditional society Hindu women cannot wear revealing clothes like Western women wear, she cannot be promiscuous. Her chasity is her biggest asset and quality as a woman, and it is something she is told to protect and preserve until she is married. The dupatta(the scarf) is symbolic of that, it covers her up, and in India a man even putting his hand on her dupatta is considered sexual assault.
As you can see from the picture above a Hindu woman can dress modestly, wear jewelry and comestics and has no restriction in moving about in society. The traditional Indian sari is a very comfortable(as said by women) and considered to be sensuous, graceful and beautiful
It is common saying in India which says, "A woman is a daughter, a sister, a mother and a wife" so Hindus are very paternal and caring towards women. This reflects in its traditions which are unique only to Hinduism. For example
Raksha Bhandan. Raksha Bhadan is an annual tradition where brothers and sisters honour each other, the sister ties a rakhi(a decorative thread) around the wrist of her brother, gives him a sweet and he gives her a gift and promises to protect his sister. This is why in Hinduism the sister is always protected by her brother.
Hindu society is very protective of women. I have seen myself when I went to India and witnessed an incident when a man was being indecent to a woman on a bus, the people on the bus got really angry, abused the man, and he was then thrown off the bus. A sure-fire way to get yourself in trouble in India is to be disresptful and indecent to a woman. It is because of this women walk about freely in public. In Hindu history, it is interesting to note that wars were fought over a woman being disrespected. In the Ramayana, Sita was abducted by Ravana, a Sri Lankan king and this lead to a huge war between India and Srilanka. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas wife Drupadi was humilated in public, this lead to the Mahabharata war.
The highest respect is accorded to the mother. It is said in Hinduis, whoever disrespects their mother will never succeed in life. Hence why Hindu men are very obediant to their mothers. The mother plays the role of nuturing her children and looking after them, especially emotionally. In Hinduism, disrespecting ones mother is considered the highest insult, and Hindus do not tolerate it. I myself do not tolerate my mother being disrespected.
The wife in a traditional Hindu society will live with her mother in law and her husband as a part of a joint family, which can consist of brother in laws, sister in laws. In Hinduism the ideal family is one where everybody is living in harmony, thus great emphasis goes on family values and every family has a hierarchy. The husband, because he is the bread winner of traditional family, has a higher position in the family than his wife(this is almost universal in all traditional families) but the mother has an even higher position.
Hindu marriages take place through choice, but arranged by parents. As Hinduism is very family orientated, it is important that both families agree and get along. The woman is allowed to choose her husband. What traditionally happens is for the boy and his family to come to the girls house, and then the boy and girl see each other and make a decision on whether they want to marry each other. The families have already done all the background checks before the meeting even begins to ensure it is a perfect match. The woman is free to choose whether she wants to marry or not. I recommend an Indian film called
Vivah to see how this process works and the dynamics of a Hindu family
In traditional Hindu society there is no tradition of casual relationships or premartial sex. In traditional society both the man and women would be sent off for education by their parents as children as very young children, and once they graduated in their mid 20's, only then would marriage be considered. This tradition still continues on in Modern Hindu society. Hence why education is a high priority with Modern Hindu women too.
Of course not all Hindu women get married and become housewives. In early Hindu history women could work, join the army or practice as priests or Gurus. The same kind of freedom Hindu women enjoyed in yesteryear is enjoyed by Modern Hindu women. As soon as you land into Indira Ghandi Airport in Delhi, you will see women customs officials, women constables. If you walk into Indian Supreme court, you will see loads of women judges and lawyers. There are plenty of Hindu women doctors, teachers, judges, lawyers and CEO's of companies. There are also many Hindu women spiritual women.
Hindu women have no restrictions in practicing Hinduism. They can read the highest Hindu scriptures, they can go to the temple(most people there are women) and women also engage in sacred rituals and can take the highest position of religious authority.
Hindu women do not really identify with being oppressed. I think they look at Western women telling them they are oppressed with mock disbelief and mild amusement.
