WOMEN'S ISSUES
Most religions of the world start with the Creation story...how God made the world and how men, women, animals, etc., came into being. These stories are the starting point of the religions originating in West Asia...Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There are also intricate mythologies in Native American religions and in Hinduism. Unfortunately, the role of women in most of these stories has been negative and, in spite of a tremendous amount of reinterpretation of these mythologies, a great burden remains on women in all parts of the world.

Guru Granth Sahib presents no theories of Creation. The Guru places no spiritual distinction between man and woman, since we are all manifestations of the Creator. Everyone of us is capable of becoming Infinite and so too are each of us capable of being blinded by Maya. While Guru Granth Sahib does not place any physchological burdens on women (or men) at birth, we still have burdens society places. Sikhs around the world have a duty to work against any social burdens facing women. In economically underdeveloped countries the burdens are placed by force (child brides, female circumcision, undereducation...). In econimically developed countries the burdens are subtle and are through "invisible force fields" created by cultural norms and advertisements (women as sex objects, unnecessary cosmetic surgeries, etc.).

Q: All of the Gurus were men. What does this say about women?
Guru Nanak called a woman "originator of all civilizations, friend, nurturer." The first teacher for all of us is our mother. Our Gurus themselves greatly benefited from the women in thier lives. If spirituality means seeing yourself in others, a woman is naturally able to do this better than a man. A man has to learn the true path to spirituality.

Q: Sikh men are expected to wear turbans. What about women?
A turban protects the head (and kesh) from the elements, just like other clothes do. It is also a distinctive symbol. Usually Western women who are Sikhs do wear a turban and many Sikh women who take "Amrit" wear a dastar (turban). Since a woman stands out in a turban (just as a man does) it requires a certain courage to wear it.

Q: How does Sikhism view family life?
Sikhism finds complete compatibility between a householder's life and spirituality. Family life provides the perfect setting to test the ideas of love, expanding one's ego, and seva (service to community). Sikhism does not favor a recluse's life...high on thought, but detached from other beings.

Q: Can women be priests in the Sikh faith?
Sikhism does not have a priest class. Through study and meditation there are people who are very knowledgable about the Sikh philosophy and some of them are employed by Gurdwaras. There is no restriction to such jobs based on sex or caste.