Practicing Success
Why were the lives of young girls and women from families of high status carefully regulated? |
To ensure they received proper education and training To make them suitable for ruling positions To ensure they were married at the right time and to the right person To prepare them for military service |
To ensure they were married at the right time and to the right person |
In the context of the patrilineal system, daughters held a different status compared to sons. While sons were crucial for maintaining the patrilineage and inheriting household resources, daughters were perceived differently within this structure. They did not have any claims to the resources of their natal household. However, marrying daughters into families outside their own kin was considered desirable. This practice, known as exogamy (meaning marrying outside), resulted in careful regulation of the lives of young girls and women from families of high status, ensuring they were married at the appropriate time and to suitable partners. As a consequence, the notion of kanyadana, wherein a daughter is given away in marriage by her father, was perceived as a significant religious duty. |