Domestic Violence against Women- Issues and Challenges

Abstract

In ancient India, women enjoyed a significant role not only at home but in the society as whole. Many Vedic hymns are attributed to the women sages. The dialogue between Gargi and Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad reflects the position that women held in the public sphere . The Turkish and Afghan invaders changed the gender equation in the sub – continent . The locals having lost the battle into subjection were coerced to hand over their women and so to protect the honour and chastity of the women became a major societal aim for the local population. The purdah system came in vogue as a result. A series of superstition and oppressive customs were manufactured that confined women within the four walls of their house. The patriarchy dominance was total. The male dominant society would not give women due regard and respect and the system continues to linger even in the twenty-first century.