David G. Mandelbaum 
Women’s Seclusion and Men’s Honor [PDF ebook] 
Sex Roles in North India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

Hindus and Muslims of northern South Asia share the belief that women should seclude themselves from men and that men must supervise the conduct of women so that their behavior will not sully men’s honor. While these practices are well known, until now no book has attempted to explain why they are so crucially important to so many people.