Can you fast for your husband's long life and still be a feminist? Women in Hinduism (ft. Dr Jennifer Ortegren)

About this episode

This episode explores the intersection of gender, religion, and modernity in Hinduism, featuring insights from Dr Jennifer Ortegren.

Is being religious seen as unfeminist? Are Hindu rituals regressive, empowering or neither? What is the ethical value of stridharma in the modern world? Can tradition and feminism coexist? In this episode, Dr Jennifer Ortegren unpacks the complex roles women occupy in Hinduism—through rituals, scriptures, and lived experience. From Karva Chauth to questions of agency and devotion, this episode explores how gender, religion, and modernity intersect in surprising (and sometimes conflicting) ways.

People in this episode

Host: Abhir Suri

Guest: Dr Jennifer Ortegren

Topics covered

• feminism
• Hindu rituals
• gender roles
• religion
• modernity
• stridharma

Keywords

• feminism
• Hinduism
• gender
• religion
• stridharma
• Karva Chauth
• tradition
• empowerment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hinduism

Books & works: Karva Chauth

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