The word or term "women" does not need any epithetic description. Epitomically, one may describe 'woman' as an adult female of the human race, a wife, a mistress, a sister, a female sex.
The recognition of sex has been in practice ever since the palaeolithic age. Even at the early stage also life of a Woman in the society of hunters must have been different from that of a man. Society seems to have failed to envisage 'Her' make of life and its expectations and almost failed to interpret her feelings, hopes, anxieties and frustrations.
Woman is an important member of a society. In fact, no society is complete without female members. Not only in human beings but also in animal kingdom females are a part and parcel for procreation and continuity of any species. In human society woman plays an important role in shaping the ethical and social values of the society. both at the individual and at family level as well as at the larger social level. Family is the cradle of civilization and woman is the pivot around which family moves. In a large number of cases, she is matrix for transmitting the values of customary morality until the individual reaches the higher stages of reflective morality.
Woman is the initiator of moral values at various levels. It is through the close contact of woman with the children that the norms and mores are imbibed by the future generations. The moral law is applicable to both woman and man in an identical manner, yet, the social laws or the values of customary morality have often shown a difference in the context or nature of their application in case of men and women. Many ethical injunctions in the earlier Western and the Indian society appeared to be discriminatery against woman.
There is considerable difference in attitude towards woman in the orient and occident. In the Eastern Culture and Philosophy, women have not been discriminated at the social and cultural levels. However, keeping in view their functions and duties and their biological structure, they have been treated differently from males. In the Western society the social, cultural and religious status attributed to women is quite different from that in Eastern societies.
In any society the status of woman invariably depends on the social traditions, norms and customs. There are some prejudices also and woman have often become the victim of many a whim and fancy the world over. However, it can be asserted that the position and status of woman in a particular society is one of the primary criteria to judge its culture and greatness.
In Greak philosophy, which had provided the foundation for western systems, the position of woman was rather pitiable. Plato held that woman is inferior to man and natural companion is man only. In this regard W. T. Stace writes about the views of Plato.
"Women, he regards, are essentially inferior to men. Moreover, the modern view of woman, are the complement of man, in possessing those special virtues of woman lives, which man lacks, is quite alien to Plato Aristotle was not very much different than Plato in this respect.
He also cosidered woman as less complete, less courageous, feeble and however, made human society the world over man dominated. It was customary in Greek philosophy to treat woman as second grade citizen. She was considered more as mean of procreation, child-bearing and chores and menial jobs were perhaps considered to be their main function in the society. Aristotle holds that a woman is an unfinished man, left standing on lower step in the scale of development. Male is by nature superior and the female is an inferior. The former is the ruler and latter is the ruled. Woman is weak of will and therefore, incapable of independence of character. Thus in the old Greak philosophy woman occupied an inferior status.
During Medieval period. Christianity had full control on philosophy, politics and religion. During this period also woman never got a place of equality in the society. Celibacy and virginity were considered to be great virtues and any violence of these was seriously viewed. The famous of Joan of Are was burnt for blasphemy. It was hundreds of years after this incident that she was elevated to the status of sainthood. In the contemporary Western culture the position has changed a lot and woman is no longer considered to be inferior or lacking in any respect. Many international organizations and the world bodies have worked for the establishment of equality between man and woman.
Among the early Christians, it was generally believed that woman is the devil's gate and she destroys God's image in man. A Latin author remarks, "Woman is the confusion of man." Dr. S. Radhakrishnan says, "Jesus did not marry; and the whole idea of immaculate conception indicates that there is something unclean about normal sex life." Dr. Radhakrishnan adds.. "Chritstian Europe has been brought up on the belief that death would have been unknown but for the unkindness of women. She was accused of treachery, backbiting and tempting men to their doom."
Even great poets like Shakespeare and Tennyson seem to be prejudiced against women. In Hamlet, Shakespeare says "Frailty thy name is woman." Similarly Tennyson also says "Woman uplift for acadamic pursuits," and says that she is fit only for home life. "Sword is for man and the needle for the woman, and further he says that man is born to command and woman to obey those commands."
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