Religion as a Method of Improvement for Gender Equality
Although women were still viewed and treated as second-class citizens, the status of women seemed improve under Christianity, especially in regard to social interaction and Islam, especially in regard to legal rights such as inheritance laws. The improvement of women’s situation was particularly pronounced when compared to the even lesser status of women during the Greek and Roman periods. Improvement in the treatment of women under Christianity and Islam is evident in the religious texts of both of the religions. Christianity’s The Gospel According to Mark and The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians and Islam’s central religious text, The Koran, provide concrete evidence as to how women’s treatment under Christianity and Islam was relatively progressive.
During the Greek period, women were viewed as inferior citizens, with no real rights. Although Greek drama portrayed many strong, remarkable women, like Antigone, what women in Greece actually experienced was much different. The role of free women in Athens, and many other places in Greece, was confined to the private sphere of the household. Women were restricted to childbearing and supervising the work done in the household; a woman’s value was based on her ability to produce legitimate heirs and to be a homemaker. Young girls were confined to their homes and received no formal education. Instead, their mothers taught them domestic skills, which were viewed as the only appropriate education for a woman at the time. Athenian women were considered unintelligent and submissive, and thus could not vote, buy or sell property, or press legal charges. Thus, Athenian women were viewed as ‘idiots’ because they were unable to...
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...ren (Cow 2:233). Letting a man dictate a woman’s personal choices like this may seem surprising in today’s society; however, at the time, Islam was viewed as relatively progressive for women. Like with Christianity, Islamic women are not men’s equals, but instead are provided by Islam with additional rights than before. Under Islam, women experienced more progress than complacency. Thus, women’s situation under Islam is more beneficial than their situation under Greek and Roman rule.
Overall, women’s status in society improved in many different aspects—social, legal, and otherwise—under both Islam and Christianity, especially when compared to the Greek and Roman periods. However, women’s strive toward equality did not stop with the improvements that came from the religions. Women today are continually struggling worldwide to receive rights equal to that of men.
Subjugation of women, in fact, is a symptom of man’s fallen nature. If the work of Christ involves the breaking of the entail [inherited consequences] of the fall, the implication of his work for the liberation of women is plain. Unwarranted assumptions have sometimes been drawn from the fact that all twelve of the original apostles were men. But in fact our Lord’s male disciples cut a sorry figure alongside his female disciples, especially in his last hours; and it was to women that he first entrusted the privilege of carrying the news of his resurrection. He treated women in a completely natural and unselfconscious way as real persons. He imparted his teaching to the eager ears and heart of Mary of Bethany, while to the Samaritan woman (of all people) he revealed the nature of true worship. His disciples who found him thus engaged at the well were surprised...
The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest running empires in history, spanning 624 years. The women of the Ottoman empire were often limited to the household of their husband’s and held back by Ottoman lawmakers and authorities. The point of view of outsiders varied, but there were both positive and negative views. Women in Ottoman society had extremely restricted roles as shown in documents 2, 3, 4, and 1. Document 2 is a chapter of the Qur’an with regard to women’s rights, behavior, and treatment.
struggled “with the nature of authority more personally and internally than did most of their male peers.” William Scheick adds that “Biblically, theologically, ecclesiastically, socially, and family, women were second and the weaker sex. To be second, it hardly needs to be observed, was to be less empowered in relation to the theocratic authority that had defined one as secondary” (167).
Women in classical Athens could not have had an extremely enjoyable experience, if we rely on literary sources concerning the roles of women within the Greek polis. The so-called Athenian democracy only benefited a fraction of the entire population. At least half of this population was female, yet women seem to have had very little influence and few official civic rights. `The position of women...is a subject which has provoked much controversy.'
of the book. USA: Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2000. The.. Print. The.. Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece.
Greek women, as depicted as in their history and literature, endure many hardships and struggle to establish a meaningful status in their society. In the Odyssey, Penelope’s only role in the epic is to support Odysseus and remain loyal to him. She is at home and struggles to keep her family intact while Odysseus is away trying to return to his native land. The cultural role of women is depicted as being supportive of man and nothing more. Yet what women in ancient Greece did long ago was by far more impressive than what men did.
When thinking of ancient Greece, images of revolutionary contrapposto sculpture, ornate lecture halls, and great philosophers in togas are sure to come to mind. As the birthplace of democracy and western philosophy, ancient Greece has had an inordinate influence on the progression of the modern world. However, the ancient Greeks’ treatment of women is seemingly at direct odds with their progressive and idealistic society.
Throughout most of documented history women of all cultures and civilizations have lived under patriarchal circumstances. In almost every religion and civilization women's status was not equal to that of a man's. Women in most cultures are looked at as subservient, obedient creatures that were put on this world for very few reasons, mainly to bear children and do what their husbands require of them. In fact, religions are a big part of the reason of this oppression due to the religion's reinforcement and justification of patriarchal conditions. In this week's selected readings from different aspects of Islamic, Byzantine Christian, and Western Christian cultures, it is very apparent as to how these three religions did reinforce and justify the patriarchal conditions in which women were struggling to live in. Also, by reading the selections one can see how different religions could make a difference for women and how they lived their lives.
Women were treated as second class citizens. They were willfully ignored by members of the Christianity and Despite the patriarchal society from the biblical days, God is taught as being just as much a Mother as God is a Father (102). The willful ignorance of religious scholars of the time just show that they were making a conscious effort of trying to keep women from retaining any power that they had. This relegation of religious roles in an effort to keep Men in power is a poor example of how Christianity is a religion which promotes for the love and care of all people, no matter their status. The interpretation of God from these times clash severely with my notions of what is now considered to be an all-loving entity.
Women in ancient Greece are an interesting subject and only so much is known about the exact day to day lives of them however from what records remain it would seem that they were kept at a relatively low level on the social hierarchy. Even in Pericles ' Funeral Speech which seems to be an almost utopian discretion of aspects of Greek life Pericles himself states that “Great will be your glory in not falling short of your natural character; and greatest will be hers who is least talked of among the men whether for good or for bad.” Pericles states that the greatest of women should be the ones whom are not noticed but still preform there tasks while not catching the attention of men. Adding to this even the great philosopher Aristotle bags on the women of Greece simply by stating that ”female [souls are] inoperative” With this simple statement Aristotle makes it seem that women are somehow broken and can never live up to the same standards as men. Even Xenophon, The Economist rambles on...
However, in Athems, female still played important role in house holding. And the reason of this was belief that women was made by God so weak for staying home and taking care about posterity, resources and slaves, in contrast to men, who was born for outdo...
Women in the ancient world had few rights, they differed from country to country or, in the case of the women of Athens and Sparta, from city-state to the city-state. The women of the city-states of Athens and Sparta had profound differences in their roles in the political and the daily lives of their families and their cities. When it came to the difference in levels of power and the rights of women, Sparta was a leader in its time. At the same time, their rights as citizens were almost the same. While they did not take an active part in politics, they had opinions and ideas like women all over the world. Their thoughts, deeds, and opinions rarely recorded or if they were, the male historians or philosophers of the time recorded them. What were roles did the women in ancient Athens and Sparta? Were they citizens, did they have personal freedoms? On the other hand, did they in a time when the beginnings of democracy were happening were they less than a second-class citizen? The misogyny and patriarchal societies continued throughout the ancient and classical periods only beginning to change in the Hellenistic era.
In an age where bustles, petticoats, and veils stifled women physically, it is not surprising that society imposed standards that stifled them mentally. Women were molded into an ideal form from birth, with direction as to how they should speak, act, dress, and marry. They lacked education, employable skills, and rights in any form. Every aspect of their life was controlled by a male authority figure starting with their father at birth and persisting through early womanhood into marriage where it was the husband who possessed control. Men believed that it was the law of the bible for one of the two parties to be superior and the other inferior. Women were ruled over as children and were to be seen, but not heard.
Naturally we human beings are divided into 2 genders i.e. Male and Female. Both these genders are given certain responsibilities and rights which suit them. Discrimination is the practice of granting or denying rights or offer privileges based on the gender. Over the years women status has been studied in diverse contexts in diverse perspectives. But Islamic perspective is the most misunderstood concept by Non-Muslims scholars and also by some moderate Muslims generally. Muslims principal book is The Quran and many verses of the Quran tells in text that the Creator of human being says: “I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you, who labors in my way, be it man or woman, each of you is equal to the other”. But still in today’s world and in the society in which we live many people are there with the misconception that in Islam women are not given equal rights as men. They think that women should always be behind and cannot be a leader. Further in this assignment we will see and try to understand the existence of Gender Equality in reality in Islamic perspective.
The role of women in religious scripture dictates an inferior position in society. Beginning with the creation of Adam and then Eve, as his helpmate. Her purpose was that Adam would not be lonely. This origin provides the ground work for inequality of genders on the basis of religious scripture. The roles prescribed determined that women should be in a subordinate position to man. The female role and relationship with God is defined by the various books of the Old and New Testaments, the reported actions of Jesus Christ, and finally the Qur'an.