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Comparing Gender Roles In Mesopotamia And India's Women

615 Words3 Pages

Today, we have many movements and activist protests supporting women's rights, but back in the time of ancient India and Mesopotamia, they did not exist. Women had less rights than they do now. But just how do their rights differ from each other? Both Mesopotamia and India’s women had fewer rights than men and had parents that arranged their marriages. Although subordinate to men, Indian women were respected because of their ability to bear children. In Mesopotamia, women were considered burdens. Her place was in the home and she would be divorced if she failed to complete her expected duties.
In both Mesopotamia and India, women had fewer rights than men. While men would be out hunting and working the fields, women stayed inside cooking, cleaning, and looking after their children. When a woman reached marriage, her newfound husband would have to look after her and take care of her, therefore be responsible for her as long as the marriage lasted. Because of this, women were deemed thorns in their husbands’ sides, or something that continually causes …show more content…

Throughout the years, they were under the authority of first their fathers, then their husband, and finally, their sons. However, despite this generalization, women were still greatly respected and honored, and played an influential role in Indian society. This was because of their ability to give birth to children, which was their only job in life. Indian tradition stated that women used their sexual powers to attain dominance over men. 2,200 years ago, an earth spirit was carved into a gatepost in a Buddhist stupa, a representation of how women were integrated into art. Women were feared and considered powerful immediately after giving birth or menstruating. This earth spirit was said to cause a tree to blossom just by wrapping her leg around its trunk, sometimes just by touch itself. This is an example of how women in India were respected and

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