Women in the Buddhist communities of Buryatia: historical and sociological analysis

The article is devoted to the historical and sociological description of women inclusion in the Buddhist communities of Buryatia. Historically, women of Buryatia were almost excluded from the institutions of Buddhist church and monastic education and their religious participation were essentially bounded. At the post-Soviet period as a result of their social status transformation during the 20th century, women claimed the wide equality in the religious sphere. Now women are initiators of a lot of projects conducted by a few Buddhist religious and non-governmental organizations.