On the Construction of Gender

What are the mechanisms through which women acquire the cultural ideas and values which shape their images of themselves and inform the visions they have of the future? What are the processes by which women are produced as gendered subjects in the patrilineal, patrivirilocal milieu of Indian society? This article examines the process of socialisation of Hindu girls through rituals and ceremonies, the use of language, and practices within and in relation to the family.