In order to emphasize the differences between Hinduism and Judaism, the similarities must also be pointed out. Hinduism and Judaism share some similarities such as the differing roles of the men and women. However, there is one key defining difference that divides the two religions and it has to do with the specific duties that are given to the women and the ways in which they are able to fulfill those duties. Judaism gives more freedoms to women concerning their roles within the religious practices and rituals, the family, and the community than Hinduism allows. Hinduism revolves around the belief and worship of deities. A large portion of the deities that Hindus believe and worship are women. Ironically, many of the rituals performed for …show more content…
When she marries, she becomes the property of her husband. Most marriages in the Hindu society are arranged and the bride and groom may not meet until the day of the wedding. The bride’s family will receive some type of payment for allowing the daughter to marry. Hindu women must always be devoted to the head of the household. The Hindu society is patriarchal and because of this men have a wider range of duties and obligations than women. The act of getting married and having children is a religious obligation to both men and women in the Hindu society. Due to this religious obligation, divorce is uncommon with Hindu marriages. When a man and woman marry they are both responsible for doing the duties of a husband and wife. Traditionally, women’s roles in Hinduism are as wives and mothers. The woman’s duties as a wife and mother are to support her husband and help maintain the household. Once the householder stage is over, the woman is no longer responsible for anything regarding the home and she must leave the house. If the husband were to die, the Hindu woman still would be subordinate to the next oldest male in the household even if it is her son. Hindu women must also do the duties assigned with her caste. The duties that are required by Hindu women give them very little freedom within the Hindu society. Jewish society is also patriarchal and like Hinduism, the women’s primary responsibility is also the family. …show more content…
The caste system is endorsed by the important religious Hindu text called the Mahabharata. Every person’s role in the Hindu society is defined by the caste they are born into and will remain in their caste for their entire life. Everyone must do the job they have been assigned in order to continue living in a harmonious society. The woman’s caste is determined by the caste of her husband. Because of the rules of the caste system, women that are in the lower castes are unable to move up to a higher caste. Lower caste Hindu women end up having to do jobs that nobody else wants to do such as cleaning the restrooms. People from the higher castes often look down people from lower castes and refuse to be near them. There have been cases where women were able to move out of their caste because they married a man from a higher caste, but it does not happen often. Similar to Hinduism, the Jewish society relies on everyone keeping up with their responsibilities and doing their required duties in order to keep the social constructs in order. Unlike Hinduism, the roles of the women in the Jewish society have nothing to do with their rights or status. The women are given equal rights to men, but still have different roles and duties to fulfill, likewise, the different roles that women and men have do not make one group superior or inferior to the other. Women can become more qualified to do certain jobs within