Raja Rammohan Roy Debate On The Practice Of Burning Widows Alive Article Summary

Women’s function within society has evolved from a rigid domestic role, towards a more flexible one. There has been a strong push in the last two centuries for women’s rights and the ability for women to stretch out of the domestic sphere into the public sphere. In Western society, concepts of liberalism and the encouragement of autonomy and personal freedom has been used to fuel feminist movements and push forth to give women equal rights. However, not all cultures have moved in this direction, preferring a role-driven society for a variety of reasons such as religion, economic efficiency or tradition. Yet, despite these differences, sources show that there are strong similarities about the ways in which women have maintained their strength

He rejects the idea that woman are naturally inferior in mind as they have no been given the opportunity to gain knowledge at the same level as men do. Roy gives the example of a prominent female figures within Hindu religion such as Maitreyi, the wife of Yajnavalkya, who readily understood divine knowledge. Roy uses the argument to show that women are just as capable as men, but men suppress their potential by merely considering them inferior. In response to the argument that women are unworthy of trust, Roy contends that men have deceived more woman than vice versa. He argues that because men are in a position of power and able to read and write and participate in the public sphere they can easily condemn the faults of women but absolve themselves crimes against women. This argument is not clear-cut. No gender is completely exonerated from immorality, however, this source emphasizes the rising perception of women as a moral figure in opposition to men. This appearance of trustworthiness tests the validity of men’s role as the authority figure in society. Roy then makes a powerful suggestion that perhaps women are in fact, more fearless and determined then