Step 1: Split Early vs Later Vedic for clarity: The clearest way to describe Vedic social/religious life is to contrast the Early Vedic (Rigvedic) period with the Later Vedic period, since both changed substantially over time.
Step 2: Social life across the two phases: Early Vedic: tribal, pastoral, relatively fluid social roles, higher status for women. Later Vedic: settled agriculture, sharper varna distinctions based on birth, declining status for women, more rigid family/gotra rules.
Step 3: Religious life across the two phases: Early Vedic: worship of nature deities via simple hymns and oral recitation. Later Vedic: complex, priest-centred yajnas and royal rituals (Rajasuya, Ashvamedha), eventually giving rise to Upanishadic philosophy questioning ritualism itself.
Final Answer: Vedic social and religious life evolved from a fluid, pastoral, hymn-based society toward a more rigid varna hierarchy and elaborate sacrificial religion, culminating in Upanishadic philosophical reflection.