ABSTRACT
Though Hindus are in the majority in India, there are large Jain, Buddhist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Sikh and Christian communities. This chapter reviews the studies of women belonging to these categories. These communities are religious minorities in a secular state such as India. These minorities have their own cultures. Since India does not have a uniform civil code, women in these communities are guided by religious laws of their own: Muslim women are guided by the Quran and the tenets prescribed in the scripture. Many of them still live in seclusion, wear a veil, and are victims of segregation of sexes. Zoroastrian women enjoy more rights than Muslim women. Unfortunately, no in-depth study has been made of these women so far. Before Zoroastrians migrated to Western India, the high status enjoyed by Parsi women in Persia had declined. The status of Sikh women vis-a-vis that of Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian women is compared.
