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Why does it seem that only men lead Sikh prayer services?

Ask SikhRI

Tuesday
,
24
October
2023

In Sikhi (commonly known as Sikhism), women's fundamental equality exists in both private and public spheres and within personal and corporate relationships. Women possess the freedom to lead in any capacity without predefined roles.

In Sikhi (commonly known as Sikhism), women's fundamental equality exists in both private and public spheres and within personal and corporate relationships. Women possess the freedom to lead in any capacity without predefined roles. Nevertheless, despite these core principles, there are often observable disparities between theory and practice. This disconnection can be attributed to the influence of cultural factors and personal biases perpetuated by the broader hegemonic culture.

It's important to emphasize that these issues are not intrinsic to Sikhi. In Sikhi, there should be no restrictions or disempowerment based on gender. Instead, these issues are rooted in cultural and personal biases that hinder empowering individuals of all genders.

In this podcast series, we dive into the community's greatest questions asked by people like YOU.

In This Podcast

Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy
Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

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