Religion and Gender Inequality - 2967 Words

RELIGION and GENDER INEQUALITY Equality for women in our society has been a controversial issue for centuries, sparking debates, marches, protests, and movement for the purpose of lifting women out of servitude to men. Many might point to the idea that women are the smaller, delicate, and weaker of the two genders as the reason for male domination. In history there have been many groups that were dominated by another group, but none with such complicity from those claiming to be following the word of God, as men over women. The Bible, perhaps the most influential collection of scripture, seems to align man with God; â€Å"Then God said, â€Å"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds†¦show more content†¦The decisions for the family are the duty of the men as the legal â€Å"head of household,† leaving women to decide on trivial matters like a food choice, maybe. This type of situation is fully supported by the local family courts as well as their society, but what does Islam really think of women? The Qur’an seems to put women at approximately half the worth of a man: â€Å"Allah enjoins you concerning your children: The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females (004.011). This passage refers to what a man leaves as an inheritance, but what about other situations. One passage in chapter 5 of the Qur’an seems to say that even dirt is cleaner than women: â€Å"if you are sick or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy, or you have touched a woman, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth an wipe your hands therewith† (005.006). If you touch a woman, rubbing dirt on yourself will be cleaner than the woman. Does the Qur’an have anything good to say about women at all? There are passages in the Qur’an that seem to put a man and a women in equal light: â€Å"And (as for) the believing men and the believing women, they are guardians of each other; they enjoin good and forbid evil and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Messenger; (as for) these, Allah will show mercy to them; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise†Show MoreRelatedReligion: Gender Inequality1395 Words   |  6 Pages In world religion, gender inequality has always been a great concern. This inequality did not exist based on the concepts of original religion but through cultural influence and social manipulation. The essence of Buddhism originated from a human being (known as Buddha). And Buddha is the one who achieved the highest enlightenment. Often in Buddhism concept, there was confusion about how much devotion is required to achieve the great â€Å"Enlightenment† for monk or nun. Women in the Buddhism faceRead MoreReligion Is A Major Source Of Gender And Sexual Inequality1614 Words   |  7 PagesReligion is a major source of gender and sexual inequality. Religion is important in society as it contributes significantly to social solidarity. However religion can also be regarded as a source of alienation in which people lose the connection with themselves and their fellow humans. Marx believed that religion can also be seen as a contributor to oppression because not only does it encourage meekness and passivity and deflected people from resisting suffering in this world (Van Krieken et alRead MoreGender Inequalities in the Roman Catholic Religion503 Words   |  2 PagesGender equality has been debated throughout society, and in a more narrow sense, in the Roman Catholic Church. Men are the dominant gender when looking at the Roman Catholic religion, as they have the authority and power to hold a church session and women do not. 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Furthermore, since it is Bill who pulls the slip of paper from the box, the narrative is reinforcing the not ion of gender inequality found within religion. In fact, TessieRead MoreThe Work Of Maria Del Mar Alonso Almeida1390 Words   |  6 PagesThere are 3,418,059,380 women in the world (Geohive.com, 2015) and yet, women, in 2010, earned a staggering 19% lesser in wages across the world (Economist, 2011). Such wage differentials have been a cause of gender inequality and thereby segregation in the workforce across the globe. The staggering numbers of economic contributions of women compared to men has however, highlighted that there are fewer women to men ratios in the workforce due to the where we live, maternal implications (pregnancies)Read MoreWhat Does Gender Inequality?1395 Words   |  6 PagesWhat fuels gender inequality? What are the reasons gender inequalities are still so high in today’s society? Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment of an individual based on his/her gender. Gender is defined as the amount of characteristics and attributes distinguishing that person between, masculinity and femininity. Although gender is a part of our character, society has taken gender to an increased level of discrimination. Gender inequality sets social difference between male and femaleRead MoreIssues Influencing The Society Today1610 Words   |  7 Pagesillustrates the state of the society; whereby gender inequality has become the new normal. In her analysis, the society has become d egraded to a point that the men are superior, actually too superior over the women. This has been evident through some of the roles allocated to the gender, as well as the way they are treated within the society. Gilman believes that the attitudes towards different sex categories have contributed a lot to gender inequality and oppression. Such attitudes have in turnRead MoreThe Effects Of Gender Inequality On India1604 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of Gender Inequality in India Gender inequality in India has taken a toll on various aspects of everyday life. Unequal treatment of the sexes in India has determined one’s standing on the social hierarchy. It has also caused a sole gender to dominate the majority of power in government. It also has caused a single gender’s opinions to be unheard and completely disregarded. Unfortunately, India’s unequal treatment among genders has caused women to be more susceptible to diseases. Gender inequality