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Religious Ideology, Hindu Women, and Development in India
Author(s) -
Dhruvarajan Vanaja
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1990.tb01934.x
Subject(s) - ideology , hinduism , status quo , privilege (computing) , ideal (ethics) , position (finance) , power (physics) , politics , gender studies , sociology , political science , political economy , law , religious studies , economics , philosophy , physics , finance , quantum mechanics
Development efforts in modern India have largely failed to help women because of the male‐centered religious ideology of pativratya. This ideology encourages the adoption of a submissive and dependent position by Hindu women. There is a lack of political will to transcend this ideology because the status quo is beneficial to those in positions of power and privilege. Unless women who will be the beneficiaries of change demand it, changes in related policies and programs will not come about. This article proposes a series of action programs informed by the ideal of gender equality in order to diminish this oppressive ideology and empower women to demand necessary changes.