There are numerous hymns in the Vedas that deal with the social customs then prevalent, and from them one can form a broad idea as to how girls and women were looked upon, treated, and the status accorded upon them by contemporary society.

We begin with the field of education. Several hymns in the Vedic canon are composed by female saints, amongst whom are Maitrayi, Gargi, Ghosa and Vak. Evidently, they were highly learned as otherwise it would have been impossible for them to compose complex Vedic stanzas. And needless to say they must have held much respect for their work to be included in the major sacred literature of the time. Several verses throughout the Vedas make it clear that girls with learning were regarded highly.

One finds a similar stanza in the Yajur-Veda which says:

We find a similar emphasis on female education in the Atharva Veda also. It can therefore be concluded that young girls during Vedic times were given education after undergoing an initiation ceremony just like the boys.

Having thus seen that it was customary during those ancient times for a young maiden to receive education, let us now review the institution of marriage then in vogue. The first question that comes to mind is regarding child marriage. Scholars agree that in the Rig-Vedic period, it was rare that a girl should be married before the age of 16. The fact that a very young marriage was not recommended can be seen from the Rig-Vedic verse quoted above. (Rig Veda III 55:16). Many marriages, like that in Hindu society today, involved the intercession of the families of those involved, but a maiden was consulted and her wishes taken into account when the matrimonial alliance was being discussed. Vedic society also went out of its way to enable young men and women to intermingle. Carnivals called "Samsanas" used to be organised from time to time when young people of both sexes would assemble and engage in merry making. Young women often married a man whom they met in these gatherings. Given below is a description of a "samana" from the Rig-Veda.

This implies that in Vedic times there was considerable freedom in choosing one’s matrimonial partner. There is no reference in the entire Rig-Veda to child marriage. On the other hand, one finds many allusions to older ladies desirous of finding husbands; such ladies went to the "Samanas" referred to previously in quest of matrimony. One finds some instances of the marriage of women well past the child-bearing age, for instance Ghosa, a well-well known female sage, married only at a late age to the renowned seer Kakasivan.

We now turn to the institution of marriage itself as it existed during Vedic times. It is believed by many, especially in the West, that the concept of genuine love and partnership between husband and wife is alien to Hindu life, attributed to the so-called "arranged marriage system", that was prevalent in India over the last few centuries, and that women were always routinely maltreated in the homes. From the description we receive from the Vedas, this was not the case. The bride was to assume a position of reverence and even dominance in the household, there was certainly no question of sanctioning oppression either by her husband or in-laws. This would become clear from the following verses:

To sum up therefore, one can say that the bride in the Vedic ideal of a household was far from unimportant and contemptible.

The woman whose husband had met an untimely death was told to come back to the world of the living and remarriage was a possibility if she so willed. One verse describes this:

As a wife a woman was given affection and respect in Vedic times. As a mother she became a figure of profound reverence. "Treat your mother as a Deva" is a common dictum in Hinduism. Indeed God is described as "mother" in many verses, which is quite different to the references to God as “male-only” in most religious systems.

The purpose of this article is not to excuse the degraded status that Hindus have sometimes afforded to women, particularly in the medieval period, including references to women as irresponsible creatures needing of constant protection and supervision from males, which appeared in several later Hindu law treatise. Customs like the self-immolation of women on the pyres of their husbands (which was always rare, and usually happened in a certain context only) and the most grotesque phenomenon of sex-selective abortion (a more serious and prevalent problem in North India) are features of our society which every responsible Hindu should actively attempt to fight. Our purpose in this article is rather to counter the very negative propaganda amassed against Hinduism, that it is intrinsically oppressive against women, which is used to attempt to turn people against Hinduism itself. Indeed there is plenty of evidence against this view, including the testimony from the oldest living record of Hinduism and Hindu life, the Vedas. It is also reflected by the fact that Hindu history, art and literature have not portrayed women only in a docile and submissive role. Women have been eulogised as being rulers, brave, mighty, capable of supreme sacrifices, and super-human righteous wrath which can destroy the world. These virtues were also considered aspects of the feminine character. Is there any more direct evidence for this than the awe-inspiring image of the great goddess Durga?

Indeed those who have bothered to research the history of ancient Hindu society have supported the idea of the dignified and reverenced position of women. The following quotes are worthy of consideration in this regards: