There are Ahādīth which apparently say that there will be more women in Hell than men:
Abu Sa`id Khudrī reported: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out to the place of worship (outside the city) on the day of ‘Idu’l adhhā or Fitr and he passed by the women and said to them: O Women, give charity for I have been shown the majority amongst you as the inmates of Hell. They said: Allah’s Messenger, wherefore? He said: It is because you curse one another very much and show ungratefulness to your husbands.
I do no understand this. Please explain?
In my opinion, this inference is incorrect and has arisen by not properly appreciating a particular style of communication used in certain Ahādīth which depict dreams of the Prophet (sws). Such dreams are a source of revelation for the Prophets of Allah and in them they are shown certain images by the Almighty for the purpose of educating Muslim men and women. As a principle, all such dreams are not to be interpreted literally; they contain realities which are depicted in symbolic form.
Symbolic representation is a very subtle and powerful way of expression: Facts seem veiled yet for him who pauses to ponder they are the most evident. They move a person in the manner poetry does. They ignite in a person the spark to look behind the apparent. They urge him to reflect and to meditate and then to discover and to infer. They educate him without rousing his prejudices. The Prophets of Allah (sws) have effectively employed this technique of communication. The words and discourses of the Prophets David (sws) and Jesus (sws) for example are full of powerful parables and subtle symbolism. The dream of the Prophet David (sws) and the way he interpreted it is mentioned in the Qur’ān also.
The Ahādīth which depict more women in Hell should also be interpreted keeping in view this basic principle. These Ahādīth do not delineate the population of women in Hell since this would be a literal interpretation; on the contrary, they just caution them that there are certain deeds which they do a lot and which, therefore, are more instrumental in taking them to Hell; so they should avoid them. In other words, the symbolism is causative in nature. The cause has been symbolized to warn women of something which they often do.