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There are many socially constructed beliefs that help feed gender inequality. One of the primitive and initial source that influences gender inequality is tradition developed by religion.
Regardless of the one's religion, or if one believes in a god, religion is known to set a systematic patriarchal society. While some view religion and the Bible as a form of liberation, many others think otherwise. In fact, Elizabeth Cady - Stanton, a women's rights leader once said, "The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation." To further explain, Cecil L. Franklin states that throughout the history of the Christian religion, Scripture has used and promoted by many individuals. Unfortunately, a handful of people have been misinterpreting Scripture and have been manipulating what the Bible truly states. In causation, women have been portrayed on both positive and negative roles. The problem arises when those who are interpreting and teaching Scripture, educate solely on the negative
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To explain, through the Gospel of Jesus, Jesus is depicted as the Holy Son, incarnation of God -His Father, and the one who served as the salvation for humanity. The vocabulary and metaphors that is used to describe Jesus sets a patriarchy as is bears "unique characteristics" to males, hence "casting women and men as polar opposite." In addition, the the Gospel of Jesus sets gender binaries. The vocabulary used to describe Jesus, insinuate men hold a closer identity with Christ. As a result, the gendered vocabulary and metaphors used to describe Jesus, and the speech used to describe God exclusively male has without a doubt marginalized women granting men the role that carries greater dominance, power and
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
In Women, Church, God: A Socio-Biblical Study, Caleb Rosado uses a socio-biblical approach to discuss the role of women in the church today and how they were treated in the Bible, during the patriarchal times. Rosado looks at the connection between what people believe now, their culture, and how they treat women in regards to how one perceives God. This book contains ten chapters in which several topics are discussed, including the nature of God, the treatment of women in the Bible, patrimonialism, servitude, and servanthood.
In her article, “Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies”, Phyllis Trible discusses the issues centered toward women in the bible (Trible). She addresses issues not just concerning equality, but also how men viewed women in biblical times. Trible examines the role of women in the bible, and the misconception they carry, that leads many into harms way.
The bible has been the center of many debates and has been used correctly and incorrectly. My objective in this paper is to illuminate the many flaws in the century-old yet ever present interpretation of the bible that suggests women are lesser than men. I will also commend and explain the use of the bible during the civil rights movement.
They were women of God, and they were very important in the development of Gods image, and well as playing significant roles in Jesus’ life and mission. Women contributed to the movement, and the experienced belonging to his community just as much as the men. However, some may view the presence of women in the bible as a negative thing. Elizabeth Cady Scanton said that the bible can be used to exclude women from the public sphere. The Bible promotes marriage and childbirth as the most important things for a woman to do, as these things would make the woman stay home and create a better environment for her husband. The images of women in the bible, however, can help women connect to God more intimately and see themselves as an image of God. Women were included in the first followers of Jesus, and he treated them as equals.Women were seen as ministers, opened their home to the less fortunate, and even witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. Since it’s beginning, women had roles of power in Christianity. Women gave birth to the men of the Lord, but only if they were women of the
Judith Lorder writes in Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, "talking about gender for most people is equivalent of fish talking about water" because gender is so routine that its "assumptions and presuppositions" are taken for granted and left unquestioned and unchallenged. Institutions such as religion has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years and has teachings that are outright sexist, which limits lives of women because it creates the idea that there are just two extremes and no in-between : the virgin or the whore. Men do not have to face persecution or tyranny in instutions and social systems have a patriarchal foundation. Gender inequity operates within instutions because the institutions are in the control of men who are privileged from the gender inequity. Institutions limit women 's lives by excluding women who do not conform to their expectations or follow their "rules." The rules or norms within these instutitions were determined by men which explains why women 's problems or limitations are not a concern for
Religion is powerful in that it controls followers’ behaviours and beliefs throughout their entire lives; it is a form of social control. Catholicism is one of the most widely known religions influencing more than 2 billion people around the world (Ross). Within Catholicism not everyone are seen as equals; men have greater privilege than women. The bible and church are from a male’s point of view (Christ 86) and passages within the bible are used to enforce a sexual hierarchy. In fact, the oppression of women begins with the first story in Genesis about creation, which portrays females as being inferior to men and even of an evil nature. This one passage is the main source of justification of oppression of woman in the church (Daly 13). The church and its teachings instil low self-esteem and low self-worth in women; it creates false identities that are supposed to be God’s plan (Daly 3). One has to wonder why women participate in the church and follow its teachings, and how women can overcome the oppression in the church.
With these interpretations of God’s words, society as a whole has held women back. This is caused by the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and because Eve gave Adam the fruit, women have been held in responsibility for all of man’s mistakes. It also forced God to punish mankind with an ending life. This confirms why women have been discriminated on by men throughout time in religious scripture.
The Torah, in general, does not exactly alleviate the situation of women. Many Jewish feminists argue that a big chunk of the misogynistic views of men stem from the exclusivity of God as male. Judith Plaskow says, “There is the fact that we address God as he. And it is not just that we use the masculine pronoun in the absence of neuter ones – we image him in male terms. Thus he is King, Lord, Shepard, Father, etc.” She goes on to mention the incredulous arguments against the ordainment of women. Arguments that stated things like because a Rabbi or Minister is in effect a Godly figure, and since God is used in exclusively male terms, it is not fitting that a woman should take a role in the clergy.
Through the translation process of the Bible people believe that the impact is inspirational, inerrant, and infallible, but over the years, translators have been translating the bible to fit the needs of the people or the religious denominations. “On one hand, in many instances, the Bible clearly reflects a patriarchal, male-dominant society. Elizabeth Stanton the publication of whose book, The Woman 's Bible, established her as the pioneer of feminist literature writes in the preface to her book” (Shapira 7-8). Just as said, Elizabeth Stanton publicized her own female dominant version of the bible to fit the needs of women society. “the Women's Bible was written with the intention of challenging the religious base of patriarchy. Some pervasive themes in the Women's Bible include the impracticality of applying Biblical standards to the 19th century, doubting the literal nature of the Bible” (Harp 2). As previously stated, the Bible is translated and interpreted to fit the
The number of feminist scholars critically assessing Biblical narrative has risen since the second feminist movement of the 1970s (Scholz 2014). A common theme of their scholarship has been to what extent the Bible may be seen to favour men. Some feminist scholars may not be able to legitimately assess the Bible and remain faithful to it because of such outdated views on women in a time when women’s equality is encouraged. I will firstly discuss the difficulties of being a feminist scholar and a Christian or Jew with particular reference to belonging to men, being of less value in society, and finally with a focus on key issues arising from Genesis 2 and 3 whereby gender roles and woman’s blame for the Fall of Man have been central to feminist interpretations. I will then assess ways in which such difficulties may be overcome with a different interpretation, beginning with refuting claims concerning the Creation story. This will be followed by analysing how the Bible is read and the value of historical context when doing so. By discussing these aspects, I will reach a conclusion as to how far you can be both a feminist scholar and a faithful Christian or Jew.
The ideology of gender equality is present in Hinduism, but is not followed within the religious community or in the Indian society. Despite the single chromosome difference between genders, this biological variation has multifaceted religious, social, and economic implications. The question remains how religions such as Hinduism or Christianity can emphasize spiritual equality, yet condone, perpetuate, and justify the practice of gender inequality especially in the work force. This issue of patriarchy affects woman not only in India, but also throughout the world including the United States. In order to evoke a change within society, it is important to understand the mechanisms and justifications for spiritual equality without societal equality and how Hinduism might be able to bring India closer social equality.
The root of all gender issues which presently exist in society may be traced back to The Creation Story in Genesis. This crucial chapter of the Bible provides evidence supporting that God intended for man and woman to exist as equals, yet he assigned gender roles once Adam and Eve disobeyed him by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree of good and evil. Thus, men have been characterized as the “breadwinners” and women as “child bearers and housekeepers” since the beginning of humanity. The story of Lilith as Adam’s supposed first wife suggests Adam took on a patriarchal role from the beginning, yet Lilith refused to accept his assumed superiority. She initially challenges him, and then leaves him; she represents a rebellious, yet independent woman. Although these two stories on the first man and woman are significantly different, the two convey that men and women have been trapped in certain roles since the beginning of time, and have always had a power struggle between them. Gender issues have not evolved over time; they have always existed.
The actions of individuals, the way people dress, the colors people like and what people do are all based on an individual’s gender, and display a notion of inequality between both genders. From birth, both genders are divided and treated differently. Gender inequality continues to be a sociological issue as it has been a concern all around the world for centuries. Gender inequality is the unequal treatment or views of people based on whether they are female or male. This form of injustice arises from the perception of gender roles that are enforced into society as gender norms. These particular norms, expectations and discernment against genders and their assigned stereotypes negatively impact society as a whole, causing inequality and struggles
All three authors agree that there are clear indicators of inequality that are not morally justified. One significant aspect of creation that promotes the gender inequality present today within religions, is the labeling of women. This point is countered based on the premise that one bad woman does not mean all women are bad. Thought patterns such as this in terms of a lesser than equal role for females regardless of their procreation function and physical attractiveness are based on archaic ideologies that diminish the value of women in relation to men. Finally, arguments from Genesis show that there is a system of subordination based on Eve being created from the rib of Adam. This originates all making from one source, but ultimately creates a system of inequality or hierarchical understanding. Perhaps if it was possible to create a basis for equal thought then it may be conceivable to have a hierarchy free society. Unfortunately, this fundamental understanding is not conceivable in terms of the relationship between the two forms of mankind. Ultimately there are a number of clear indicators that morally unclear implications for the relationship between men and women have been promoted through the creation story and prominent examples of its