lonial times. Prithvi Nath Tikoo identifies that "the treatment of women in ancient Indian culture was, however, different. Here the concepts of male chauvinism did not start as early as it did in other countries. This sort of mentality took roots in this country (India) years after the Aryans came and settled here" (Tikoo, pg 5). Here is it identified that the maltreatment of women did not truly begin until India was colonized, and Tikoo also goes on to say that Christianity gave Hindu leaders (among others) the justification that they needed to make the claim that women should be kept in the "guardianship" of males. The main disability of women in India, and truly worldwide, has been that of childbirth. The "bondage of reproduction" as Tikoo works it, had left women reliant on men for fo!
             od, protection and shelter (Tikoo, pg 3). Tikoo also noted a "curse of women" in India which have lowered their place in society which is that of early marriage. In India, "Hindu religious leaders all decreed that a girl should be married soon after the beginning of puberty." (Tikoo, pg23), and that the age of ten is considered puberty. For Hindu girls, this means that they have little chance at education past this age, and truly many do not even receive education before. One reason for this is that many prospective in-laws would not want an educated girl, since they believed that she would not want to be a virtual servant.
             The plight of women becomes very apparent in the sphere of marriage. Women are expected to marry, and many call it the "aim of her existence" (Billington, pg 22). There si a general belief of parents that if their daughter does not marry, she will go to hell, and any woman in this society which does not marry is not seen as a real woman. At this point she is forced to go into the workforce. Other statistics from India are shocking. Seven out of ten non school going children are female, females are infinitely m...