Gender in Indian History Till 1500 CE - Outline of Gender

Summary

Dr. Shruti Vip's lecture series 'Gender in Indian History' explores the concept of gender as a social construction and its impact on Indian society up to 1500 CE. She discusses the fundamental feminist concepts of patriarchy and its role in perpetuating male dominance and female subordination. The lecture delves into how gender norms and rules, influenced by culture and society, create inequality and control over women's lives, including their sexuality and reproductive rights. Dr. Vip also addresses the patriarchal nature of institutions like family, religion, and the legal system, and their influence on perpetuating gender disparities and the feminization of poverty.

Takeaways

• 📚 The lecture series aims to explore the concept of gender in Indian history up to 1500 CE, focusing on the introductory concepts of gender and patriarchy.
• 👤 Dr. Shruti Vip, a history teacher at the University of Delhi, emphasizes the importance of understanding basic feminist concepts like patriarchy and their impact on social issues.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 Patriarchy is defined as a system of male domination within the family, with the eldest male member traditionally being the head, and has evolved to keep women subordinate in various ways.
• 👥 Gender is distinguished from sex, with gender being a social construction that determines man-woman relationships and is influenced by cultural, social, and political factors.
• 🔢 The 'three Ds' of gender—disadvantage, discrimination, and disparity—are highlighted as key issues, particularly in developing countries like India.
• 🏡 The family is identified as the first institution that perpetuates patriarchy, with boys learning to dominate and girls to submit, often resulting in unequal distribution of resources.
• 🏛 Religion is discussed as a major institution that supports patriarchy, with religious laws often governing family laws and reinforcing women's subordination.
• ⚖️ The legal system is critiqued for being patriarchal and favoring men, historically keeping women away from power and decision-making roles.
• 💼 The economy is pointed out as another institution that upholds patriarchy, with men controlling economic institutions and women's unpaid household work often being unrecognized.
• 💰 The feminization of poverty is a significant issue, with women performing a majority of unpaid work and earning significantly less than men for similar jobs.
• 🌐 Socio-cultural and personal challenges force women to quit the workforce, which is part of the broader patriarchal framework that has been established over generations.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the new series on gender in Indian history?

The main theme of the series is to explore the concepts of gender and patriarchy in Indian history up to 1500 CE, focusing on the social construction of gender and its impact on women's lives.

What is the fundamental difference between sex and gender as discussed in the script?

Sex refers to the biological characteristics that define whether one is male, female, or transgender. In contrast, gender is a social construct that represents the lived reality of being male or female, which includes the roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.

What are the 'three Ds' associated with the concept of gender in the script?

The 'three Ds' are disadvantage, discrimination, and disparity, which are implicit aspects of gender, particularly in developing countries like India, highlighting the inequalities faced by women.

How does the script define patriarchy?

Patriarchy is defined as a system of male domination, where men hold power over women in society, often keeping women subordinate in various ways and enjoying privileges over them.

What role does the state play in perpetuating patriarchy according to the script?

The state, as a patriarchal institution, controls women's sexuality and reproduction through legal measures and population control programs, reinforcing patriarchal norms and ideologies.

How does the script describe the impact of patriarchy on the division of social roles between men and women in the family?

The division of social roles between men and women in the family is identified as the earliest form of division of labor and class division, which arose with the establishment of private property and the shift from a nomadic to a settled lifestyle.

What are the challenges that women face in the workforce according to the script?

Women face challenges such as the feminization of poverty, lower wages for similar work, and a double shift of work and home responsibilities, which often leads to them quitting the workforce.

How does the script discuss the role of religion in promoting patriarchy in India?

The script mentions that family law in India is governed by religious law, which often subordinates women to men and considers them inferior, influencing state policy and reinforcing patriarchal norms.

What is the economic impact of patriarchy on women as described in the script?

The economic impact includes women performing a majority of unpaid household work, earning less for similar jobs, and facing a higher likelihood of poverty, which contributes to the feminization of poverty.

How does the script address the issue of women's mobility and its relation to patriarchy?

The script discusses that women's mobility is largely restricted due to patriarchal norms and societal expectations, which impacts their access to resources, education, and opportunities.

What are the implications of the script's discussion on the policy-making process?

The script implies that policy-making should take into account the statistical data and socio-cultural challenges faced by women, ensuring that policies address the inequalities and support women's rights and empowerment.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Gender and Patriarchy in Indian History

Dr. Shruti Vip introduces a new series on gender in Indian history up to 1500 CE, focusing on the concepts of gender and patriarchy. The learning objectives include understanding feminist concepts such as patriarchy, which is a critical part of the series. The series aims to consolidate the understanding of social issues that are as relevant today as they were in the past. It discusses how gender is a social construction, differentiating between sex and gender, with gender being a lived reality influenced by cultural, social, and political factors. The talk also touches upon the disadvantages, discrimination, and disparity associated with gender, particularly in developing countries like India.

05:01

👥 Patriarchy: System of Male Domination and Its Impact

This paragraph delves into the concept of patriarchy as a system of male domination, highlighting how it has evolved to keep women subordinate in various ways. Patriarchy is defined as the rule of the male, especially the eldest male in a family. The paragraph discusses how patriarchy controls women's productive and reproductive power, and how the modern state also acts as a patriarchal institution controlling these aspects through laws and policies. It also addresses the discourse of morality used to control women's movement in society and the historical division of labor that has led to social and political inequality.

10:01

🏠 Family and Its Role in Perpetuating Patriarchal Norms

The role of the family as a private domain in perpetuating patriarchal norms is explored in this paragraph. It explains how boys are taught to assert and dominate while girls are conditioned to submit and expect unequal treatment. The unequal distribution of resources within families, especially in times of scarcity, is highlighted, with boys receiving better nutrition, education, and opportunities. The concept of patrilineage and the restrictions on women's mobility due to societal beliefs are also discussed, emphasizing the perpetuation of patriarchal structures within the family unit.

15:03

🙏 Religion, Law, and Economy: Institutions Upholding Patriarchy

This paragraph examines the role of religion, law, and the economy in upholding patriarchal norms. It discusses how family law in India is governed by religious law, which often subordinates women and considers them inferior. The legal system is described as patriarchal and favoring economically powerful classes, indirectly keeping women away from power politics. The economic system is also highlighted, with men controlling economic institutions and determining the value of productive activities, while women's unpaid household work is not recognized or valued, leading to the feminization of poverty.

20:04

💼 Socio-Economic Challenges and the Feminization of Poverty

The final paragraph addresses the socio-economic challenges faced by women, including the feminization of poverty and the gender pay gap. It emphasizes the double shift women perform at work and home, yet earn significantly less than men for similar jobs. The paragraph also discusses the challenges that force women to quit the workforce and the need to incorporate statistical data on women's unpaid work into policy-making. The stark contrast between the amount of work done by women and their share of income and land ownership is highlighted, calling for urgent attention to ensure women's rightful place in society.

Keywords

💡Gender

Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. In the video, it is differentiated from sex, which is a biological classification. Gender is a central theme as it explores how societal norms and expectations shape the lives and opportunities of individuals based on their perceived gender, illustrating the concept with the discussion on how gender is 'essentialized' and the different expectations placed on men and women.

💡Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and are dominant in roles of political leadership, moral authority, and social privilege. The script defines it as a system of male domination and discusses how it has historically led to the subordination of women, shaping family structures, societal norms, and access to resources. The concept is integral to understanding the video's exploration of gender inequality and its perpetuation through various social institutions.

💡Femininity

Femininity, as discussed in the script, relates to the qualities, appearance, and behaviors that are considered to be ideally associated with women. It is one of the 'three Ds' (Disadvantage, Discrimination, Disparity) linked to gender and is used to illustrate the societal expectations and norms that can lead to gender inequality, particularly in developing countries like India.

💡Masculinity

Masculinity encompasses the traits, behaviors, and roles that are socially constructed as appropriate for men. The video touches on how masculinity is often associated with power and dominance, contrasting with femininity and contributing to the dynamics of patriarchy. It is part of the broader discussion on gender and the social construction of male and female roles.

💡Social Construction

The concept of social construction posits that many aspects of our lives, including gender roles, are built through social interaction and the stories societies tell themselves. In the video, the idea that gender is a 'lived reality' and not just a biological fact is emphasized, showing how social constructs like gender influence the way we perceive and treat individuals.

💡Ideology

Ideology in this context refers to a set of beliefs or doctrines that shape the social order and influence the behavior of individuals within a society. The script discusses gender as an ideology that benefits men and causes suffering for women, highlighting how ideologies can be used to justify and perpetuate social inequalities.

💡Inequality

Inequality is a central topic in the script, referring to the unfairness and disparities in access to resources, opportunities, and power between different groups in society, particularly between men and women. The video discusses various forms of inequality, such as the gender pay gap and the feminization of poverty, which are direct consequences of patriarchal structures.

💡Feminization of Poverty

The feminization of poverty refers to the phenomenon where women are disproportionately represented among the poor. The script provides statistical data to illustrate this, noting that women perform a majority of unpaid household work and are often paid less for similar work compared to men, leading to a higher likelihood of women remaining poor.

💡Legal System

The legal system is discussed in the script as an institution that has historically been patriarchal, favoring men and the economically powerful classes. It has played a role in reinforcing gender inequality through laws and policies that have not granted equal rights and opportunities to women, although the script also notes a change in recent times with more women entering the legal field.

💡Religion

Religion is highlighted as an institution that has often supported patriarchal norms, with religious laws governing family structures and reinforcing the subordination of women. The script notes that religious beliefs can influence state policies and societal norms, contributing to the perpetuation of patriarchy.

💡Economic System

The economic system is discussed in relation to how it perpetuates patriarchy by controlling property, economic activity, and the value of productive activities. The script points out that men typically own most property and control economic institutions, while women's unpaid household work is not recognized as an economic activity, contributing to the feminization of poverty.

Highlights

Introduction of a new series on gender in Indian history up to 1500 CE by Dr. Shruti Vip.

Discussion of learning objectives and paradigms in gender and history.

Understanding of basic feminist concepts such as patriarchy.

Importance of studying social issues related to gender from the past to the present.

Exploration of gender as a social construction distinct from sex.

Differentiation between physical form and social, political, and cultural implications.

Cultural determination of gender and its impact on man-woman relationships.

Association of gender with disadvantage, discrimination, and disparity.

Analysis of power relations in society through the lens of gender.

Consideration of norms and rules regarding appropriate behavior in the context of gender ideology.

Different norms and rules in various societies, such as Western and Indian societies.

Inequality resulting from internalized norms and access to resources like food, health, and education.

Patriarchy defined as a system of male domination and its perpetuation over time.

Control over women's productive and reproductive power in patriarchal societies.

Role of the state as a patriarchal institution controlling women's sexuality and reproduction.

Discussion on the discourse of morality used to control women's movement in society.

Biological differences used as grounds for social and political inequality, leading to discrimination and oppression.

Historical division of social roles between men and women as the earliest form of class division.

Exclusion of women's issues from academia due to division between private and public spheres.

Patriarchal assumptions in language and political practices.

Family as a private domain institution promoting patriarchy through learned behaviors.

Religion's role in reinforcing patriarchy through family law and societal beliefs.

Legal system's role in perpetuating patriarchy by favoring men and economically powerful classes.

Economic system control by men and the feminization of poverty.

Unpaid household work by women and its impact on economic inequality.

Gender pay gaps and the challenges faced by women in the workforce.

Socio-cultural and personal challenges forcing women to quit the workforce.

Global statistics on women's work, income, and land ownership reflecting economic inequality.

Transcripts

[Music]

so

[Music]

greetings to everyone today we are going

to start

a new series gender in indian history

up to 1500 ce i

am dr shruti vip i am teaching history

in pgdavi evening college university of

delhi

the topic that we are going to start

today would deal with

the introductory concepts of gender

and patriarchy let us first discuss

some of the important learning

objectives which are

going to be part of the series

and these learning objectives will also

highlight the important paradigms that

exist

in the arena of gender and history

to recapitulate understanding of the

basic feminist concepts

such as patriarchy this is a very

important part

of the online series

then to consolidate our understanding

on a range of social issues

because these range of social issues

are as important today as they were

in the past but they have not been

adequately

studied then the series will

also give you an idea about

being a woman how being a woman

is a part of and it's a form of ideology

which is created which is invented

to benefit men in society and how

it is the females who have suffered in

the past

and the suffering continues in the

present also

due to those ideologies

and you know benchmarking that is done

so in the course of our discussion we

would be discussing

gender as a social construction

so right at the onset of the lecture it

is important to differentiate

between what is sex and what is gender

so both these terms

are definitely not similar and

while sex means it's a male or a female

or a transgender

gender is a lived reality so gender is

taken for granted

and essentialized we cannot even see how

we participate

in creating it so gender is something

that one experiences and it is not the

sex with which

one is born so this is a very important

difference uh that is the difference

between the physical form

and the difference between the political

social and the cultural ramifications

that are ascribed to a particular

form of the body so we have different

expectations different rules and

different values

for people in our society that is based

on gender

gender is clearly determined

by culture by society and it defines

the man-woman relationship now when one

is talking about femininity

and masculinity it is widely seen

that there are three d's that are

closely

associated with the concept of gender

and these three ds are disadvantage

discrimination and disparity these

are implicit in gender and particularly

so

in the developing countries like india

so gender is a very useful category

for analyzing various ways in which

relations of power are constructed in

society so therefore one cannot have

a myopic view of gender

being associated only with sexuality

or only with the biological form

it is much more than that and in fact it

includes the entire lived experience

of one's existence in this world

so uh as we are uh talking about the

ideology of

gender uh one must take into

consideration

the various norms and the rules

regarding

the appropriate behavior so there are

a range of beliefs and customs

to support these various norms

so when one takes into consideration

the ideology one has to keep in mind

what are the particular norms and the

rules

that have been framed by a particular

society

so these norms and rules are different

for different societies so for example

one cannot really equate the western

civilization and western society

with the rules that are operating in

indian society or

in any other country's society so

one has to take into consideration the

range of beliefs and customs

uh which are operative and how these

support the norms which are then

gradually

internalized norms basically determine

the access of men and women over

different resources like food health

education property job etc

and it is from these norms that

ultimately inequality sets in

so therefore uh when one is talking

about

gender one cannot but talk about

inequality and its discontents

so here a question arises what

prevents equality so it is in this

background

that i would like to take up the

discussion uh

on patriarchy patriarchy is a system

which refers to male domination

to the power relationships by which men

dominate family so

simplistically speaking one can say that

patriarchy means

rule of the male

over the family and especially the

eldest male

member in the family is the head of the

family

so patriarchy over a period of time

has emerged as a system whereby

women are kept subordinate in a number

of ways

and men are privileged over women

so as time has progressed

since the onset of civilization the

patriarchal

setup of society has further fully

entrenched itself and there is no going

back to patriarchy

even in the present context so

what exactly do men control when one is

talking about patriarchy that is the

rule over

women what do men really control it is

basically women's

productive or labor power

so women's reproduction that is the

control

of husband over wife's sexuality

and here i would also like to refer to

the state

that how the state the modern state is

also a patriarchal institution

because as a patriarchal state

it controls women's sexuality

through various legal measures through

various uh

you know laws that are passed and

also it controls women's reproduction

through

various population control programs

and the various institutions that are

part of the state machinery

also play a very important role uh

in controlling women so as

uh we discussed the issue of control

one also needs to talk about that how

there is the ongoing process of control

over women's

sexuality through the discourse of

morality so the entire notion of

morality the entire discourse of

morality

has been woven in such a way

so as to control the free movement of

women in society ah now

when we are talking about the biological

differences

between the human beings such as sex

and race uh which have traditionally

been

used as you know important

grounds for the social and political

inequality

then it is ultimately the end result is

discrimination subjugation and

oppression and this is what has been the

reality

of women in most of the societies

the division of social roles

between men and women in the family

is historically the earliest form

of division of labor at the

onset of civilization

so it is also the earliest class

division

which arises along with the

establishment

of the institution of private property

so as society and as civilization

progressed and

as there was a shift from a hunting food

gathering nomadic way of life

to a settled and sedentary way of life

with the onset of agriculture

and as the uh as land assumed

a very important role as the private

property

so henceforth the class division that is

the division between the haves and the

have-nots

started and clearly women emerged as

the have-nots in the entire

scheme of things so continuing our

discussion

with patriarchy so patriarchy literally

means the rule by the father and now it

is

understood as the dominant role of men

in society and it is the oldest form of

social inequality perception of

patriarchy as a natural order

uh needs to uh you know uh

ask a question as to why and how

this inequality was reinforced from

time to time and in fact until recent

times women's issues interests as well

as concerns

that had largely been excluded from

the arena of academics

for several reasons one was that there

was a division between the private

and the public spheres so while women

were considered

as part of the private domain

so and since they were kept out of the

public spheres

of politics of economy and of so many

other

you know institutions but since now the

times have changed women

have come out so there is definitely now

a more open and fair discussion about

the

genuine rights of women the patriarchal

assumptions

of the language and the practice of

politics

these are also some of the very

important themes

which have to be taken up in a detailed

format

now when we are talking about

patriarchal institutions

i would like to highlight several

institutions which

are uh you know active in promoting

patriarchy

and let us first begin with the very

first institution

which falls in the private domain

and that is family so within the family

it is the boys who learn to assert

and dominate while girls learn to submit

and expect unequal treatment right from

the beginning the situation is

particularly so

in those families where the resources

are limited

and they are not they are never

equitably distributed among

uh the male and the female children so

it is

ultimately the boys who get the the

better

uh part of nutrition uh you know the

better kind of uh

education they are sent to better

schools

and parents end up spending more money

on uh their education training and job

readiness

whereas uh of the females right from the

onset

learn to compromise not only in

nutrition

health uh you know vaccination uh

then even the marriage settling down and

sharing of the resources and the process

goes on

for uh you know

all time to come then when one talks

about the family as i

said at the onset of the lecture it is

the uh

most of the families are headed by men

due to patriarchal

society and there is a belief in women's

inferiorized psychology so therefore

women are not even considered

worthy of that kind of respect or

confidence by the family members

and at the top of it the women's

mobility is largely restricted

due to so many factors that we would be

discussing in uh

in the future course of lectures then

also there are

issues related to property and some

other economic resources which again are

ah you know within the uh

power structure of males to

lay their hands on so therefore what

is promoted in the entire scheme of

things

is battery locality and petri lineage

by battery locality we mean that after

marriage it is the husband's household

which becomes

uh the the place where one has to live

and it is from there that the family

starts

and then the by patriot lineage we means

descent

through the mail line both of which

are very important part of indian

social setup so this promotes the double

standard

also of sexual morality where different

parameters

are there for men as well as for women

now the next important institution with

reference to patriarchy that i would

like to discuss

is religion especially in india

family law is governed by the religious

law so

in all religions women are subordinate

to men

and also they are considered inferior

impure and sinful so the religious

influence the most of the religions they

also influence

state policy so therefore this uh

this vicious circle goes on and uh

sometimes in the name of religion or

sometimes in the name of morality

it is ultimately patriarchy which wins

the battle

now the next uh third important

institution institution

that one can talk about which has

promoted patriarchy

is the legal system in most of the

countries the legal system

is both patriarchal as well as bourgeois

that is it favors men and

also the economically powerful classes

so the legal system has

clearly been uh you know not

in the favor of granting uh too many

powers

or they have indirectly

or you know in a covert and overt way

they have also kind of kept women

away from the power politics

now the systems of jurisprudence

that exist you know the the judiciary

the judges and the lawyers

are mostly men though now times have

changed and a large number of women

are entering the legal field they are

studying law and they are practicing

uh judges and lawyers so definitely now

the times are

changing but if one is talking about say

uh three to four decades ago or even two

to three decades ago

the situation was quite different

then the next important institution that

one can talk about is the economy the

economic system

and the various economic institutions

that are associated

so it is invariably men who control the

economic institutions

they own most of the property the direct

economic activity and they determine

even the value of different productive

activities and while on the

one hand uh this is the scenario

on the other hand it is the uh the

private sphere

the household work which is done by

women and this household work

which takes up uh their majority

uh of time uh is neither

recognized nor paid for as

it is completely discounted you know the

economists have not really counted

the way women slog hard they are

fetching water

they are even cultivating in the fields

they are doing the household course of

cleaning

uh and cooking but none of these

activities are considered

as economic activities uh in true sense

of the term

so what has been the end result while

women

have spent their lives doing all these

uneconomic

and so-called unproductive activities

the end result has been the feminization

of poverty so the as has been pointed

out by the organization

of economic cooperation and development

that is

oecd as per the calculation

it is women who continue to do a

majority of housework

in india which amounts to more than

six hours of unpaid work daily

and if you compare the time spent by

men on doing such household works it

does not even

amount to 52 minutes uh you know and

this

is as per the data that was

released now uh with so much of

discrepancy

that exists uh one it is but natural

to uh talk of gender pay gaps

which exist and which existed

in the past and they continue to exist

now also

especially in the private sector as

females

are more likely to remain poor thereby

reinforcing feminization of

poverty so this feminization of poverty

is one problem

that must be taken care of

as soon as possible so that women get

their rightful place

in work in the employment statistics

now females on an average are paid 34

percent less

than men for the similar jobs and again

this problem is more rampant

in the private sector indian females

perform

a double shift at work and home and end

up

earning lesser so this injustice

needs to be accounted for and one

has to incorporate these statistical

data while making policies and policy

formulations

now there are several socio cultural and

personal challenges

ultimately which force women to quit the

workforce

and who is going to take care of those

challenges because those challenges are

also part of the entire patriarchal

framework that has so carefully been

built

over the generations so while women do

two-thirds of the world's work they

receive

merely 10 percent of the world's income

and own even less than one percent of

land

so with so much of inequality prevalent

uh economically one can really consider

this institution as a very important

uh you know uh institution as far as

reinforcement of patriarchy is concerned

uh and uh while talking about women

and work one can make an observation

that in many

cases women are the primary care

givers and they are also balancing the

challenging of

work and family but none of this is

considered when the policies are

framed out so with this i would like to

bring this discussion

to an end thank you