Gender roles in medieval societies (Europe, India, or Islamic empires).

Abstract

This study examines the construction and function of gender roles in medieval societies with a comparative focus on Europe, India, and the Islamic empires. It highlights how patriarchal systems, reinforced by religion, law, and cultural traditions, structured social and familial life while shaping opportunities and limitations for both men and women. In Europe, Christian ideology confined women largely to domestic and religious spheres, though noblewomen and nuns held occasional influence, while men dominated political and military roles. In India, caste and kinship determined women’s identities within marriage and household duties, even as figures like Mirabai and Akka Mahadevi resisted patriarchal norms, while men monopolized authority in politics and religious institutions. Within the Islamic empires, Sharia granted women certain rights to inheritance and divorce, but veiling and seclusion constrained them, as men held primary power in governance, religion, and warfare. This comparative analysis underscores both restrictions and spaces of female agency across civilizations.