Role of Women in Buddhism, Confucianism, and Hindu
Through the years, women have been regarded differently in each society that has taken rule over an area. Some societies regard women as goddess-like figures, where women are the most holy creatures and looked up to by everyone. However, other societies viewed women as the least significant figures, and denied them of all rights. The Hindu, Buddhist, and Confucian societies all had different roles for women. However, they still remained to keep a few parts of their roles to be similar. In each of these societies women were expected to fulfill requirements and complete duties. However each society held a different value for the women.In the Hindu society women were looked at as a divine figure. "offspring, religious rites, faithful service, highest conjugal happiness and heavenly bliss for the ancestors and oneself, depend on one's wife alone..."(Human Record 164). Women alone were responsible for the happiness of the society. They were expected to keep their family especially their husbands happy at all times. They were required to keep everything clean, fulfill all religious duties, as well as prepare food for the family. However, even after completing all of these tasks and doing everything in their power to keep
a family happy they still had no property rights. "A wife, a son, and a slave, these three are declared to have no property; the wealth which they earn is acquired for him to whom they belong" (Human Record 163). The only things that can remain in a woman's possession are things given at the bridal procession, gifts given by their lover, and things given to them by their brother, mother, or father. Duties and requirements the women must fulfill were also present in the Confucian society. In this society the women must not only prove to be humble, industrious, and continue ancestral worship; but they also had four qualifications that they must fulfill. In order to prove to be humble women were forced to respect everyone else, put others first while putting others last, if they did something good, they weren't allowed to talk about it, however if they did something bad, they weren't allowed to deny it. Proving to be industrious was even harder for women. They had to stay up late completing various tasks and chores for the husband and the family, but yet wake up early to start on the next day's work. Not only were they required to complete these tasks but they were also required to completely them efficiently, systematically, and completely. In relation to proving to be humble and industrious the task of continuing ancestral worship was much easier. In order to complete this she had to "...cleanse and purify and arrange in order the wine and the food for the offerings to the ancestors" (Human Record 153). The only positive side that women are able to look at in the Hindu society is that, the men were required to treat to them well. "Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards" (Human Record 163). If men were to turn against women, the men were looked down upon and the women were allowed to
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Approximate Word count = 1270
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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