Are Sikh women expected to cover head at all time?

Just wondering...
Are Sikh women expected to cover their head at all time? I know everyone are expected to cover their heads when entering the holy places as a sign of respect, but I didn't hear about covering head at all time for Sikh women before.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/islam/27427-sikh-women-expected-cover-head-all.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27427


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Sikh and Muslim women seek freedom to wear head coverings
By John Woolfolk
Posted: 11/07/2009 08:15:32 PM PST

Their head wear displayed a full palette of colors and patterns, and symbolized different faiths. But the two dozen Sikh and Muslim women who gathered Saturday at a Fremont community center knew their turbans and scarves had a singular effect on many others in a country where their beliefs are in the minority.
"Around Sept. 11 this year, I had someone call me a terrorist," said Jasdeep Kaur, a middle-school counselor and volunteer with the Sikh Coalition in Fremont that organized Saturday's unusual joint forum with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Santa Clara to address discrimination that women of both faiths face because of traditional religious head wear like her black dastaar turban. "We are visually standing out compared to everyone else."
Organizers said local Sikhs and Muslims had never held such a multifaith forum to address shared concerns about discrimination and profiling, but decided to do so because it remains a daily concern. While the overt hostility that peaked shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Islamic terrorists has subsided, more subtle discrimination persists, they said.
"There's a lot of covert discrimination out there," said Harsimran Kaur, a lawyer and director of the Sikh Coalition.
Sikh and Muslim women are expected to cover their heads. In the Sikh faith, which traces its roots to 16th-century India, both men and women cover their hair, which they do not cut. In Islam, which began in seventh-century Arabia, women cover their heads as a sign of modesty.

 
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Lucy - No is the quick answer. One covers one's head only in gurdwara or/and in presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib if it is in another locale (say a Nagar Kirtan).

Just reading between the lines in the article you have posted. There appears to be another issue at work. Some Sikh women wear turbans, and would like to have their right to do so respected, without being termed or perceived as "terrorists." They would like to wear turbans as a religious statement. But turbans for women is completely voluntary according to the Sikh Rehat Marayada, and not, not, a requirement. In the Akaali Kirtan Jatha movement in Sikhism, women do wear turbans. However this is again not part of the Sikh religion but part of that group's expression of faith by its women.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27427
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27427

A better way to word the title of the article would have been Sikh and Muslim Women Seek to Wear Turbans and Head Coverings in Freedom.

I would like to add:

There are very few requirements in the Sikh Religion. Sikhism is a path where you "travel light." You carry only enough baggage to fit in the "overhead" compartment on your flight to finding the Creator within. That is what is so wonderful about it. Less weight means more energy to study, meditate, pray, and make your personal effort to become a person of service, compassion, and devotion to the Creator that pervades his Creation.

Narayanjot ji,

Well said.

It is all about freedom. Nothing else. Freedom means choice as long as the choice does not impede on someone else's freedom. It goes for both men and women.

One should not consider Muslim women who do not cover their heads as immodest or Sikh women who do the same as less devout. Any radicalisation by the religious honchos can impede in freedom of either and/or both.

It is more true in Islam where there is a very thin line between dressing for modesty and, submission and repression. Saudi Arabia is one of the best examples of that where there is so called " Modesty Police" and the punishment for not following the religious dogmas of " modesty" is quite severe which is mainly directed towards women.

Sikhi has nothing like that because the Founder of Sikhi- Guru Nanak was a feminist, which itself shows the value system towards freedom for all, that in result is due to the seed sown by Guru Nanak to eradicate any kind of repression or submission to a fellow man.

Head covering was born more out of tradition with the huge influence of Islam in India than anything else.

In the West people take off their head coverings like hats, caps etc etc when some solemn ceremony takes place, like a funeral passing through or during the National Anthem. However, in the East, it is just the opposite and both opposite ritualistic traditions are not contradictory but sign of respect which is expressed in the opposite fashions.

In the Catholic tradition, some women still cover their heads when they go to the Church or when they have a meeting with the Pope or and when there is a funeral ceremony in the Church, where as men do not do that.

Among the Hasidic Jewish beliefs, head covering also plays a very important part for both genders.

So, fighting for freedom is part of Sikhi and also part of the Bill of Rights on which basis the USA was founded.

Regards

Tejwant Singh

yes I'm sure that its for the turban wearing womens who of course are very few.

as far as the question of Sikh womens covering their heads is concerned i too feel its more of cultural thing and most of the womens in south Asia do that if you go to Indian states like rajasthan and haryana you will find womens veiled more than Muslim womens they never remove dupatta from their faces
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27427
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27427

but this is changing like in ancient times Punjabi womens use to wear lehnga and kurta and wearing a salwar was a sign of modesty but it changed and womens started wearing salwar kammez now wearing jeans and top is modesty who knows if it changes tomorrow.

There is equality in Sikhism. So, that means that Sikh men and women strive to respect their uncut hair by covering their heads not just at Gurdwara or nagar kirtans but during normal activities. Sikh men do this by wearing turbans, and sikh women have the choice of either covering their heads with a turban or a scarf.