Textual evidence is the most informative source for researching the culture of ancient peoples. As such, even the two excerpts from the Kama Sutra and the Arthashastra tell a lot about the relationship between men and women in ancient India. Both works suggest a traditional gender role of females while establishing male supremacy over them. Women’s traditional societal roles include being the lady of the household, caring for the family, and being concerned for their children’s wellbeing. Moreover, women are expected to comply with some appearance standards that are popular at the time and have appropriate conduct that is centered around being servient and non-disturbing to men.
The Kama Sutra suggests that its information is read by men, although it can be passed on to women, who may learn about it via their spouses and perhaps other married women. In this context, the Kama Sutra should be situated within patriarchal power relations. The Kamasutra attempts to legitimize and perpetuate the predominance of a single type of desire, namely heterosexual connections involving upper-class males and all women. Beating is included as an acceptable component of daily life on the side of males. Although men were entitled to exhibit violence, which was viewed as inherent to masculinity, women’s rage was only given restricted expressions.
Arthashastra similarly made mention of females in a male-dominated culture and referenced them in its standards and procedures. Marriage is a significant theme in the Arthashastra. A married woman’s primary duty is that of a mother, particularly a mother of boys. Sons hold the highest rank in a traditional household in ancient India since they continue on the bloodline, whereas girls leave their parents’ home when they marry to live with their father-in-law. The capacity to bear boys then affects all elements of an engaged woman’s life, either explicitly or implicitly.