Religious Ideology and Interpersonal Relationships within the Family

Abstract

This paper attempts to explain how a religious ideology determines the nature of role relationships within the family. It is shown how ’Pativratya’ an androcentric ideology rooted in Hinduism has gripped the minds of a people. The data for this study were collected through field research from a South Indian village. The finding is that Pativratya is built into the social structure and consequently women occupy a lower position in sexual hierarchy and are heirs to an unequal opportunity structure. Such a state of affairs is perpetuated over time through systematic socialization of men and women. In addition, women as mothers are coopted into the patriarchal family to train the next generation according to the tenets of Pativratya. Impact of this ideology in a cross cultural context is examined through a study conducted in a Canadian metropolitan area. Preliminary analysis of this data shows that equal access to opportunity structure and exposure to multiple ideologies including egalitarianism leads to egalitarian relationships between the sexes. The implications of such a finding is that the power of Pativratya can erode under certain specified conditions.