Women in Religion: Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism

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Women in Religion
The role of women is one of the most documented aspect in the history of humankind. This is relative to the fact that social values over the years have continually changed and with them the course of the world developments in many areas other than religion and faith. Some of the religions that have had some significant changes in the roles the women play in the continuity, beliefs and practices include Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism (Hirsch, Edward). These are religions that can be traced back to the India community and they tend to have a rich history and significant impact in the world today as far as faith and religion are concerned.
Thesis statement: Buddhism has had a more tolerant approach to the role of women than Jainism and Hinduism
In the Hinduism faith, women have played some very significant roles, most of which have consistently shifted with time. Most of the earlier developments in the religion point to the role that women played as linked to their husbands. The husbands at the time took the position of a teacher of a god. As such, there was even hope that women would offer to cremated alive to join their husbands in death. This however was not always the case, as during the Vedic times, women in Hinduism were considered to be equal to their male counterparts with reference to matters of spiritual rituals (Poetseers.org). However, this changed in the nineteenth century, when women were forced into a more servant oriented role in the society. This lead to girls being considered as a burden and in some of the cases they would be aborted, killed at birth or when they got to the child bearing age, they would be forced into marriages and they would have to pay dowry to boy’s family for taking their daughter. Some would be beaten after they were married off. However, over the course history, this changed as women became more empowered in the society (Hirsch, Edward). There a shift that now considered women the more likely candidates to be closer to the gods compared to the men. The latter had the earthly burden of accumulating wealth and power and the women were free to connect with the gods. There are accounts of several women that achieved high spiritual status in the society such as Andal and Akka Mahadevi. In the recent times, there have been women such as Sri Anandamayi Ma who lived between the years 1896 and 1982.
Unlike the role of the women that is associated with Hinduism, in Jainism the women take on a more equal position. this is a religion that is based on eq...