Uma Chakravarti, in her book, talks about how caste hierarchy and gender hierarchy are the organising principles of the brahmanical social order and are closely interconnected. This article explores the relationship between caste and gender, focusing on what is possibly the central factor for the subordination of the upper caste woman: the need for effective sexual control over such women to maintain not only patrilineal succession but also caste purity, the institution unique to Hindu society.
The general subordination of women assumed a particularly severe form in India through the powerful instrument of religious traditions which have shaped social practices. A marked feature of Hindu society is its legal sanction for an extreme expression of social stratification in which women and the lower castes have been subjected to humiliating conditions of existence.
However, I find that ‘Brahmanical patriarchy’ conveys ideas that are deep and complex. It describes how we live in societies that are shaped by gender, caste, and economic relationships, and in turn shape them through our decisions and actions.
Many of us know that women face various disadvantages in a society structured in ways that give men power while withholding it from women. We have seen statistics on sex ratios, on malnutrition, on violence; we hear of schemes to save the girl child or campaigns to prevent gender-based discrimination. We believe there should be equality between men and women.
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