How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.

Solution

We find that although some rulers like that of Satavahanas kept in their name the name of their mothers Gotra. But when it came to ruling and succession of thrones it was patriliny in nature. Thus we can say that in the early historic era gender differences were very important.

1. property inheritance- As the society was patrilineal in its nature the inheritance of property mainly concerned with the male descendants. Women had no concern regarding the inheritance of the family because they were regarded something to be given away. Thus we see the notion of Kanyadana, the giving away of daughter and the notion of Stridana or the wealth of the daughter, which was supposed to be her's but even than we see rules where she should not hoard the wealth. And in overall she becomes property of her husband.

2. The importance of gender is also seen on the way names of gotra are assigned, for example it is the name of husbands gotra that were adopted by the women after marriage and it thier progenitors adopted the name of the father. Although Satavahanas did adopt their mothers Gotra name but in overall the structure wa patrilineal in nature.

3. Importance of gender can also be seen during the marriage, the idea of exogamy was most prevalent where marriage was supposed to be outside ones gotra. And in overall due to gender differences we see that notion of right time and right place to be married being prevalent during that time.

Some More Questions From Kinship, Caste And Class Chapter

What, according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms.

“Brahmanical norms regarding marriage and occupations were not always followed in ancient times.” Give arguments in support of this statement.

In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha Sukta?

The following is an excerpt from the Mahabharata in which Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, speaks to Sanjaya, a messenger:

Sanjaya, convey my respectful greetings to all the Brahmanas and the chief priest of the house of Dhritarashtra. I bow respectfully to teacher Drona .... I hold the feet of our preceptor Kripa .... (and) the chief of the Kurus, the great Bhishma. I bow respectfully to the old king (Dhritarashtra). I greet and ask after the health of his son Dpryodhana and his younger brother ......Also greet all the young Kuru warriors who are our brothers, sons and grandsons......Greet above all him, who is to us like father and mother, the wise Vidura (born of a slave woman)......I bow to the elderly ladies who are known as our mothers. To those who are our wives you say this, 'I hope they are well-protected.'...... Our daughters-in-law born of good families and mothers of children greet on my behalf. Embrace for me those who are our daughters..... The beautiful, fragrant, well-dressed courtesans of ours, you should also greet. Greet the slave women and their children, greet the aged, the maimed (and) the helpless.

Try and identify the criteria use to make this list in terms of age, gender, kinship ties. Are there any other criteria? For each category, explain why they are placed in a particular position in the list.

This is what a famous historian of Indian literature Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature.... and contains so much and so many kinds of things....(it) give (s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.' Discuss.

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Kinship, Caste And Class

How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.

Some More Questions From Kinship, Caste And Class Chapter

What, according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms.

“Brahmanical norms regarding marriage and occupations were not always followed in ancient times.” Give arguments in support of this statement.

Explain why patriliny may have been particularly important among elite families.

Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.

Compare and contrast the dharma or norms mentioned in the stories of Drona, Hidimba and Matanga.

In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha Sukta?

Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.

How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.

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