Do Christian and Jewish women cover their hair too?

Jewish women

In Orthodox Judaism, a married woman covers her hair as a matter of religious law and modesty (called tzniut). Some wear a scarf (a tichel), some a snood or hat, and many wear a wig (a sheitel) over their own hair. Unmarried girls usually don't cover. In Reform and secular Jewish communities, most women don't cover at all, though some wear a head covering in synagogue.

Christian women

The New Testament has a passage where Paul says a woman should cover her head when she prays (1 Corinthians 11:5–6). For centuries most Christian women did, and paintings of Mary, the mother of Jesus, almost always show her veiled. Today:

• Nuns in many orders wear a veil as part of their habit.
• Amish, Mennonite and Hutterite women wear a prayer cap or kerchief every day.
• Eastern Orthodox women, especially in Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Greece, often cover in church.
• Some Catholic women wear a lace mantilla at Mass, a custom that has come back among younger traditional Catholics.
• Coptic and other Middle Eastern Christian women often cover in church too.

Most Western Christians stopped covering during the 20th century, which is why hijab now looks "foreign" in Europe and the USA, though it isn't. See What does the Quran say about Mary?

How hijab compares

The Islamic command is addressed to all believing women once they reach puberty, not only married women, and it applies around non-mahram men in daily life, not just during prayer:

Muslims see this as continuing a modesty that earlier prophets' communities also knew. See Is hijab mandatory in Islam?

A bridge, not a barrier

This shared history can help in conversations with family. A Christian grandmother may remember wearing a headscarf to church, and a Jewish neighbor may understand your choice better than you expect. Muslims call Jews and Christians the People of the Book, and modesty is one of many things we share. See Who are the People of the Book?