Final answer:
The gender structures in early India transitioned from a less restrictive society to a more patriarchal society from the early to the late Vedic period. While women faced more restrictions and diminishing rights over the years, they still played significant roles in spiritual history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The change in gender structures in early India varied from the early to the late Vedic period. Initially, in the Vedic communities, although women were excluded from political and economic life, they could exercise authority as mothers and were generally treated well. Girls and boys were educated and participated in religious activities. Nonetheless, daughters and wives were legally dependent on the men in their lives.
In the late Vedic period, patriarchal ideologies strengthened due to the systematic codification of Hindu law which led to the cultural spread of child marriage and the disfigurement and ritual death of widows. Women’s roles became more restricted and their rights were gradually diminished. Despite these changes, women were not totally removed from spiritual relevance. Women figures like Ghosha and Maitreyi, are still remembered as having played significant roles in the spiritual history of the early Vedic period.
On a brighter note, Buddhist teachings of the time offered women some protection from backlash and pronounced them as spiritually clean, thus providing them with a greater participation in the spiritual community. Yet, Buddhism was not entirely devoid of patriarchal principles itself. Ultimately, one can conclude that the gender structures in early India evolved from a less restrictive society to a more patriarchal society during the late Vedic period which marginalized the role and status of women.
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