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Women Working Class as Reflected in Buddhist ...
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Agriculture being the primary sector of any economy, women could not have afford to stay away from agricultural labour e.g. a certain women was the keeper of a paddy-field and she gathered and parched the head of the rice, doing the work herself.'' Another is described as watching the cotton field," where she used sometimes to spine fine thread from the clean cotton in order to while away the time.
Women workers also carried out various skilled jobs. In the ageof Buddha, women role in weaving occupation was very significant; Pāli texts throw considerable light on the women weavers. Under special circumstances such as domestic distress women from higher varņas adopted the profession of weaving and spinning to earn their livelihood. Wecome across ladies assuring their dying husbands that they need not worry about the financial future of their families, for they could earn the necessary income by spinning and weaving cotton and woolen yarns and piece goods.13 In the Vinaya-pitaka,'* weaving is regarded as low type of work (hīnasippani). It seems that women worker on a large scale were engaged in the textile industry probably belonging to the lower orders. Specialization must have created new classes oftextile workers such as parakara pesakāri,ornamental workers and workers in rugs and furs who specialized in their distinct crafts:15 Women were occupied with carding cotton as is evident by the expression 'ithinam-kappasa-pothana-dhanuka '10 A cloth spun by a Therī is mentioned; it was either prepared by sewing rags together or woven."
Along with the women skilled worker, there was a large section of women service classes: Many of them earned the reputation of being great teachers, preachers and social workers e.g. Dhammadina, who was regarded as the leading preachers (dhammakathika) was praised by Budhha himself for her teaching. 18 Pupils of the women scholar and teacher Anandmedhaya were called 'Andamedha''). Some women used to take up the profession of being nurse, though probably only indigent women took the profession; the nurse seems
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