Women in Kushan period
I just came across a site with some good resources on the role of Indian women during the important period of the Kushan empire. Here’s the site’s own description of these resources.
Gender studies has been a vital part of historical study since the 1970s. However most writing on Indian women overlooks the Kushan period. This is partly because the evidence is drawn from inscriptions, not literary sources (which are more readily available for the time of the Buddha, and Gupta era). However, it is possible to develop a coherent picture of the involvement of women in Buddhism and Jainism. And there are exceptional women such as the nun Buddhamitra, who is credited in inscriptions with being proficient in Buddhist philosophy. However, even where women are silent in conventional sources they remain 50% of the population and images of the feminine would have impacted their lives constantly.
And here is some modern facts about the role of men & women at home. No wonder, when and where full ordination for nuns are available, more women want to renounce the world.
http://www.livescience.com/culture/women-more-likely-doing-housework-101208.html