To what extent do you feel religion has affected gender inequality and/or the oppression of women?

Question

Do you think it still plays a significant role today in hindering women's struggles?

Answer 1

I think religion has and still is the basis for discrimination against women that is translated into law.

Feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton summed it up pretty well when she wrote: "The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of woman's emancipation."

US Christian churches have opposed everything from:
-women's right to speak in public,
-to the use of anesthesia in childbirth (since the bible says women must suffer in childbirth) and
-woman's suffrage.

Think this all in the past? No way, unfortunately. US religious fanatics and bullies, often calling themselves "Christians" are currently engaged in an outright war of terrorism and harassment against women who have abortions and the medical staff which serves them.

In the US, the ERA is being introduced again, and guess who fought the hardest against it last time? The Catholic and fundamentalist Protestant churches.

On the other hand, the fundamentalist Moslems are doing a great job of taking away nearly every freedom you can possibly think of, from women. In Afghanistan, the Taliban said a woman:

1) Couldn't work, not even as a teacher
2) Had to have a male relative escort them from their home, otherwise, they weren't allowed to leave.
3) Was banned from being treated by a male doctor
4) Was banned from all education, including all girls
5) Was whipped, beaten and verbally abused if not clothed in accordance with Taliban rules, or if a women is unaccompanied by a mahram (male relative).
6) Public stoning of women accused of having sex outside marriage. If raped, most don't report it for fear of being stoned.

In the last 5 years, according to the link below about Afghanistani events, life hasn't changed much for women, and now, feminists and NGO female workers are being killed for trying to help women:
http://www.rawa.org/womankind.htm
http://www.rawa.org/recent2.htm

I grew up within a US fundy "Christian" household and my father is a fundy minister-trust me, if every liberty a woman has could be stripped from her, it would be. We need that separation between church and state, if we want to live anything resembling a life.

Answer 2

Here's one. We make better apple pie. LoL. For real though, some men believe that a womans place is in the kitchen and in the home. Here is the arguement that was made in the beginning of all of this. Ready: If women are allowed to work, who will look after our children and homes. Who will cook and clean. If a woman is allowed to work, the home will fall into disrepair, the children will not be attended to, the dinners will not be made, and the garden not be kept. A woman should not work, because she cannot do the things that a man can do. She is not as smart as man and she is not as strong as man. A woman is too kind hearted. Her soul will not allow her to react to things the way that a man would. It is a bad idea for a woman to be allowed to work and the above reasons make it clear why. NOW I don't believe this in any way, but in a different time, this would have been a good arguement. Thank GOD for women's rights, because I can't cook and I hate gardening. LoL

Answer 3

do i think it still pays a significant role in hindering women's progress today? the operative word being significant. My answer is absolutely YES!. How do you justify working for power, progess and a name and individual accomplishment when you live by the words of a religion that says that you should be seen not heard, that you belong to a man, that you do not have an identity standing on your own without a man? How do you think that would affect your work endevors? Lots! You feel guilty and like a sinner when you demand respect and when you work to be powerful especially when you are working with male co-workers. Plus the psychological effect of "you are second class and inferior to men" that religions preach doesn't exactly do much to move woemn along faster on the road to liberation and gender equality.
So yes, religion is a huge hinderance to gender equality. What is a more effective way to suppress growth and liberation than to say, if you do that, it is a sin? You don't want to displease your god, you don't want to be a sinner so you toe the line. It's genius. whoever came up with that religious dogma should be put to good us

But it really all depends on how religious a person is. For people aho claim a religion but do not know it's dogma or follow it, the effect is much less

Answer 4

I don't see to any extent Christianity harms women. The principle of submission for me has been twisted by some people. Even if the Bible talks of submission of the wife to her husband, it does't mean the man automatically is a dictator. I think it means the father takes care of the family,and has to make wise decisions and this does not mean that he cannot get advise from his spouse. That is why I believe women were created: to help man.
I believe there is power in submission. I think men who respect their wives cannot treat their wives like slaves.
I think that is also why the Bible says that the man's body is not his but his wive's but a woman's body is not her's but for her husband. So each patner should treat each other with respect.
I believe this issue of submission applies only to the family and the church. Not the society. If it was for the society then the Bible would have spelt it out.
Hope this will help you.
For other religions I don't know.

Answer 5

It starts Early in the Bible

No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD. (NASB ©1995)

That implies that women are inferior to men. Also there is a passage whereby if two men are fighting, and a woman helps her husband by grabbing the other man's testicles, her hand should be removed.

It appears that from early on men seamed to be embarrassed of their testicles, and tried to hide this from not only women from other men. This is somewhat different from the praise of human breasts or bosom through out the bible. So for some reason men treated themselves with disdain and praised women for the breasts they do not have. Somewhat of a double standard. Or perhaps they just wanted to praise women enough so they could have sex, and hide their own inferiority's of being male.

Answer 6

They do, the bible definitely does but people with brains know not to follow it literally.

And from a certain poster who shall remain unnamed, she follows the bible closely which leads her to believe that women must always be submissive and the husband has the right to hit the wife in a marriage.

It is sad how people get misled by religion, and religion is a tool for people up there in the heirachy to manipulate us little common folks.

Answer 7

Many religions have oppressive ideas towards women, which are in turn usually twisted and blown up in order to fuel patriarchy. Look at female genital mutilation. It's claimed to be part of the religion, but many have found it's really not. Every religion has their share of misinterpretations

Answer 8

It has messed up many women I know .My own father is a huge woman hater(he is scared of woman really) he uses the bible to back him up . So he can get away with all kinds of crap including hitting and emotional abuse.I don't think he needs to twist it around to much to support him .he even thinks rape is OK , he claims that most woman who are raped are asking for it - dear old dad really thinks he will get some great reward in heaven someday for thinking this junk.Very sad..but not as uncommon as you may think-always comes from the weak .

Answer 9

Religion has always been the result of entrepreneurs and politicians getting hold of philosophy. Even the early Wicca Covens have had their socio-economic overtones.
Not until the onslaught of the occidental (Judeo-Christian-Islamic) revolution of making sex dirty and sinful did they truly turned on the female gender, but then they did and did so with a vengeance

Answer 10

religions play a huge role in the repression of women. many cultural memes are religiously based and many of our memes regarding women are sexist. for instace, dont you notice that inaminate objects like cars and boats are almost always refered to with 'she'. things that can be owned are often refereed to in this manner...

unfortunately our society and most societies have such an abundance of subtle sexism that most people dont even notice and women often act in self defeating ways