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Sikhism teaches that men and women are equal, however this does not seem to be the case, despite the rahit (code of practice) stating that women are the equals of men. Preaching equality between men and women is one thing, but in practice patriarchy rules with men being dominant over women.

Today, in the Punjab, as has been the case for centuries, the birth of a son is celebrated as a joyous occasion, but the birth of a girl is treated as though the family has been cursed. The abortion rate in Punjab is rising by the year as mothers decide to terminate the child if it is a girl.

So why is there still no equality for women, even though it is supposedly one of the fundamental beliefs of Sikhism that both men and women have unalienable rights?

Firstly none of the Gurus were female. Everything instructed in the Guru Granth Sahib has been written by men. All of Sikhism's history is about the doings of men. If you are a Sikh and you are reading this, can you name any prominent Sikh female from our history? Most of you would not be able to.

You may not have ever heard of Sada Kaur who helped Ranjit Singh merge the misls. Syad Muhammad Latif in 'History of the Punjab' describes her as follows- 'The wisdom and energy of this extraordinary woman, one of the most artful and ambitious of her sex that ever figured in Sikh history, contributed materially to the success of Ranjit Singh... She was the ladder by which Ranjit Singh reached the summit of his power.'

Society in the time of Guru Nanak was also male-dominated right through to the last Guru. The Gurus preached equality for spiritual liberation but not socially, they abided by the social rules of the time as much as the next person. Men and women were able to escape the wheel of transmigration by meditating on God's name, but women had to follow the patriarchal lifestyle of the time. It was seen as the duty of men to protect women and they also took the role of leader of affairs for the husband and wife couple. The ritual of Rakhari shows how the brother promises to always honour his sister, the notion of male dominance again is clear.

All of Sikhism's key institutions are also male-dominated, but today more feminists who have been educated in politics, law and business are campaigning for greater equality between men and women. This is more the case in Western countries like Britain, but they are also demanding change in India too.

The wedding ceremony also highlights how Sikhism continues to be dominated by men. The gurdwara has partition in, with men and women seated separately, but during the ceremony, the groom is instructed that he is to be 'the protector of (the bride's) person and honour' whilst the bride is asked to accept her husband as 'a master of all love and respect.' She also ritually follows him around the Guru Granth Sahib four times.

It seems like Sikh women get a rough deal, particularly in Punjab. Even today Jat fathers refuse to let their daughters own any land, not because they are seen as incapable but because the males are seen as the dominant sex, this shows the strength of male lineage in families. They are seen as child bearers and homemakers and nothing more. Whereas most women in Punjab accept the status quo others are realizing that this does not have to be the case.

All these traditions add weight to the male-dominance idea, and generally it is accepted that this is the case, however as more Sikh women are becoming educated they are seeing inequalities which they have faced for hundreds of years, they no longer accept the role of mother and wife as being the 'norm' and are determined to prove to a male-dominated religion that they have much more to offer.

Hopefully in a few more years you may be able to name some more famous Sikh women.