Women in the Manu Samhita
The Manu Samhita, written long after the Vedic period, is one of the Dharma Shastras. Its derogatory statements about women have been highly publicized by those who would denigrate and destroy Hinduism. But Manu Samhita is a minor smriti; and while other sections form the basis for much of Indian law, its sections on women do not.
Manu himself wrote, “Where women are honored, there the Gods are pleased. Where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards,” and “Strike not even with a blossom a woman guilty of a hundred faults.” He insisted that a mother’s wealth is to be inherited solely by her daughters, who also inherit some of the father’s wealth.