Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Ramalli, and welcome to today's RE lesson, which forms part of our unit Social justice: how might Sikhs promote equality? And in today's lesson, we are going to be exploring women in Sikhi.

Let's start the lesson.

Today's lesson outcome is: I can use the tools of social science to explain Sikh teachings on women and the role of Sikh women historically and today.

To help guide us through today's lesson, there are four keywords: equality, pangat, sangat, and survey.

Equality is all people having the same rights and opportunities.

Pangat is the act of eating together in rows, signifying equality and unity.

Sangat is the community of Sikhs who meet and worship in the gurdwara.

And survey is a process of collecting, analysing, and interpreting data.

So today's lesson on women in Sikhi takes two parts.

So we're going to start today's lesson by exploring Sikh teachings about women, moving on to consider Sikh women in history and today.

Alex explains how we use social science in religious education.

Alex says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live and how context like where they live or when they lived affects this.

We can better understand people's worldviews by looking at photographs or analysing data.

We can survey or interview people to find out more about their worldview." In this lesson, we will examine photographs and data to better understand Sikh worldviews and attitudes towards women.

Okay, so what I'd like you to do now is look at this photograph and consider or discuss answers to these following questions.

What does this photograph show? How does it link to equality? Pause the video here and either on your own reflect or discuss with your partner these two questions, and then press play when you're ready to move on with the lesson.

Okay.

Welcome back.

So what does this photograph show and how does it link to equality? So perhaps you identified that this photograph was taken from the time with the suffragettes, where some women were campaigning for the rights for women to be treated equal to men and for women to have the right to vote.

You might also want to take time to consider, to what extent do women have equality in the UK now? Pause the video here and either on your own reflect on the question or discuss with your partner.

Press play when you're ready to move on with the lesson.

At the time of the Sikh gurus, women were often not treated as equals to men.

For example, they had little or no opportunity for education, had a lack of freedom to make their own decisions, weren't allowed to work outside of the house, and were not valued in the same way as boys when born.

Look carefully at this image.

Does it show anyone you recognise? So here this is Guru Nanak.

Well done if you were able to identify Guru Nanak in this image.

And this is Bibi Nanaki ji.

She was Guru Nanak's older sister.

There were times when Guru Nanak frustrated his father, but his sister, Bibi Nanaki, stood up for him and encouraged him to continue in his mission.

Some people call her the first Sikh as she was the first person to recognise that he was special.

How do you think Guru Nanak's relationship with his sister shaped his view on the treatment of women? Pause the video here and either on your own reflect or discuss with your partner.

Press play when you're ready to move on with the lesson.

Guru Nanak promoted equality between women and men.

And in the Guru Granth Sahib, it says: "Women and men, all by God are created.

All this is God's play.

Says Nanak, all thy creation is good, holy." What does this verse teach about why men and women should be treated as equals? Pause the video here and discuss with your partner or take some time to reflect by yourself.

Press play when you're ready to reflect on your answer.

Okay, welcome back.

So what do you think this verse teaches about why men and women should be treated as equals? Well, you may have said that this verse teaches that both women and men are God's creation, therefore should be treated as equals.

Okay, let's pause and complete a check for understanding.

Fill in the missing words from Guru Nanak's teaching: women and men, all by God are.

Pause the video, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you said the missing word is created.

Other Sikh gurus built on Guru Nanak's teachings.

For example, Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh guru, worked to create equality between women and men.

At the time, women and men sat separately whilst eating.

Guru Amar Das introduced the concept of pangat.

So what do you notice about this photograph? So in this photograph, you can see men and women sat together eating and sitting in rows along the floor.

And pangat meant that women and men could sit together whilst having food.

Today this is seen in the langar, also known as the free kitchen, at gurdwaras all over the world.

At the time of the gurus, in some religious practises at the time, women and men were separated.

They were not allowed to be in the same room in their holy building or to worship together.

How do you think the gurus may have challenged this practise and why do you think they did this? So either on your own take time to reflect on those questions or discuss with your partner.

Press play when you're ready to move on with the lesson.

The gurus promoted women being part of the sangat, the community of Sikhs.

So men and women could worship together.

Women had equal opportunities for being part of and leading the worship.

For example, they could pray and read the Guru Granth Sahib.

Okay, let's pause and complete a check for understanding.

Select the meaning of pangat: A, all people having the same rights and opportunities; B, the act of eating together in rows, signifying equality and unity; or C, the community of Sikhs who meet and worship in the gurdwara.

Pause the video, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you said the correct answer is B.

Pangat is the act of eating together in rows, signifying equality and unity.

So now we're going to complete our first practise task.

Alex asks you to explain how the gurus promoted equality between women and men.

How will you explain this to him? Use the lesson keywords in your response.

So in your response, you need to refer to the keywords Guru Nanak, Guru Granth Sahib, pangat, and sangat.

Good luck completing the practise task.

Pause the video, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, welcome back.

So Alex asks you to explain how the gurus promoted equality between women and men.

Your response to Alex might include the following points.

Guru Nanak promoted equality between men and women.

In the Guru Granth Sahib, he taught "Women and men, all by God are created." This teaches that both women and men are God's creation, therefore should be treated as equals.

Guru Amar Das worked to create equality between men and women.

He introduced the concept of pangat, which meant that women and men could sit together whilst having food.

The gurus also promoted women being part of the sangat.

This gave women equal opportunities for being part of and leading the worship.

Well done on completing the first practise task.

So that moves us on to the second part of today's lesson on women in Sikhi, to consider Sikh women in history and today.

We can use social sciences to help us find out how important religious beliefs and teachings are to people today.

Social scientists use different methods to find these out.

We can ask questions about women in Sikhi today using surveys and interview questions.

So for surveys, respondents may be given different options.

Answer data can be turned into numbers, known as quantitative data.

Interview questions are open answers, which are the respondent's own words, known as qualitative data.

They are longer answers.

In today's lesson, a survey is going to ask the question, how are women treated in Sikhi? The interview question is going to include an interview with Mandeep Kaur.

The British Sikh Report has been published annually since 2013.

The report is a survey of Sikhs living in the UK.

The report gathers views on Sikh faith and other issues, for example, political, social, economical, and cultural.

Even though the gurus taught equality, unfortunately, it does not mean that Sikh women are always treated equally today.

A survey carried out by the British Sikh Report in 2017 showed that some Sikh women still have negative experiences including mistreatment, lack of opportunities, and equal pay.

The survey, which was answered by an equal number of males and females, asked the question, what is the most important issue affecting women? So looking at the survey results, what did the respondents believe were the three main issues affecting Sikh women in Britain? Pause the video here and either with your partner discuss or reflect on your own.

Can you identify what the respondents said were the main three issues affecting Sikh women in Britain? Pause the video, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you identified violence, sexism, and wellbeing as the three main issues the respondents said affected Sikh women in Britain today.

Okay, let's pause and complete a check for understanding.

According to the British Sikh Report in 2017, what are the main three issues affecting Sikh women in Britain? Pause the video, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answers.

Well done if you selected A, C, and D, wellbeing, sexism, and violence.

Data shows some Sikhs report that women have not yet achieved the gender equality that Sikh teachings support.

However, throughout history, prominent Sikh women have played active roles in societal and political issues.

We will examine three Sikh women that fought for equality.

Mai Bhago was the first ever woman in Sikh history to fight in a war.

She led 40 Sikh soldiers against the Mughals in 1705.

Mai Bhago showed that Sikh women are just as powerful and important as men, helping to promote gender equality in Sikhi.

Princess Sophia Duleep Kaur Singh was the goddaughter of Queen Victoria.

She was a prominent suffragette.

She campaigned for women's rights and equality in Britain during the early 1900s.

Sophia used her position to help fight for women to have the right to vote in Britain.

She worked hard to make sure women were treated equally.

Let's complete a check for understanding.

Select the name of the famous Sikh woman and prominent suffragette: A, Bibi Nanaki ji; B, Mai Bhago; or C, Princess Sophia Duleep Kaur Singh.

Well done if you selected C.

Princess Sophia Duleep Kaur Singh is a famous Sikh woman and prominent suffragette.

Mandeep Kaur is the first Sikh chaplain to the British military.

She was appointed to the British Armed Forces in October 2005.

She gives advice and support to Sikh members of the forces and advises the Ministry of Defence on interfaith issues.

In 2018, she was awarded an MBE, which stands for a Member of the British Empire.

So here we have an interview with Mandeep Kaur, and she was asked the question, how have the teachings of Sikhi influenced you in your role? "As a Sikh, my life is deeply shaped by my worldview.

Sikhi teaches that everyone is equal, no matter their gender.

We should always stand up for justice and serve others selflessly.

My beliefs have inspired me to speak out against discrimination and push for equal rights, especially for women." How important is it for a woman to be in your role? Mandeep Kaur replies, "I believe that it is very important for a woman to be in my role.

Sikhi teaches women and men are equal.

Women should have the same opportunities as men.

We should lead, participate, and be heard in both religious and everyday life.

I believe I can be a role model for other girls and women." True or false? Mandeep Kaur is the first Sikh chaplain to the British military.

Well done if you said that statement is true.

So now we're going to complete our second and final practise task.

Izzy is trying to explain how Sikh women have promoted equality.

Use these pictures to help Izzy explain how Sikh women have promoted equality referring to Mai Bhago, Princess Sophia Duleep Kaur Singh, and Mandeep Kaur.

Pause the video, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your answer.

Okay.

Welcome back.

So let's reflect on your answer.

So your answer might have said: Mai Bhago promoted equality by being the first ever woman in Sikh history to fight in a war.

She led 40 Sikh soldiers against the Mughals in 1705.

Mai Bhago showed that Sikh women are just as powerful and important as men.

Princess Sophia Duleep Kaur Singh promoted equality as a prominent suffragette.

She campaigned for women's rights to vote during the early 1900s.

And Mandeep Kaur is the first Sikh chaplain to the British military.

In 2018, she was awarded an MBE.

Mandeep believes that women should have the same opportunities as men.

She promotes equality to be a role model to girls and women.

Fantastic.

Well done on completing the second and final practise task.

So that brings us to the end of today's lesson on women in Sikhi and a summary of our key learning points.

Bibi Nanaki ji, Guru Nanak's older sister, played an important role and is believed by many to be the first Sikh.

Guru Nanak taught that both women and men are God's creation, therefore should be treated as equals.

Guru Amar Das worked to create equality between women and men, and introduced the concept of pangat.

The gurus promoted women being part of the sangat.

Surveys can be used to collect, analyse, and interpret data, for example, the British Sikh Report.

And there are many Sikh women in history and today who have promoted equality for Sikh women.

Thank you very much for joining me for today's RE lesson.

Goodbye.