My friend keeps saying he is Hindu, but i have no idea what that means.
Hindu is a word used as a geographical, cultural and religious identifier for people from South Asia.
I see, that makes sense now. How long has Hinduism been around?
It started in the 1st millennium BCE referenced with the Persian and Greek through texts of the medieval era.
That is a long time ago. Do you know what type of religion it is?
Women in Hinduism
Hindu texts present diverse and conflicting views on the position of women, ranging from feminine leadership as the highest goddess, to limiting her role to an obedient daughter, housewife and mother. The "Devi Sukta" hymn of Rigveda, a scripture of Hinduism, declares the feminine energy as the essence of the universe, the one who creates all matter and consciousness, the eternal and infinite, the metaphysical and empirical reality (Brahman), the soul (supreme self) of everything. The woman is celebrated
Hindus
Hindus () are persons who regard themselves as culturally, ethnically, or religiously adhering to aspects of Hinduism. Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people living in the "Hind" (Indian subcontinent). 
The historical meaning of the term "Hindu" has evolved with time. Starting with the Persian and Greek references to the land of the Indus in the 1st millennium BCE through the texts of the medieval era, the term Hindu implied a