Religion as a Method of Improvement for Gender Equality Essay -- Chris

Religion as a Method of forward motion for Gender equivalenceAlthough women were still viewed and treated as second-class citizens, the status of women depended improve under Christianity, oddly in figure to social interaction and Islam, especially in regard to healthy rights such as inheritance laws. The improvement of womens stance 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. Christianitys The Gospel According to Mark and The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians and Islams central religious text, The Koran, provide concrete evidence as to how womens treatment under Christianity and Islam was relatively progressive.During the Greek period, women were viewed as inferior citizens, with no material 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 new(prenominal) 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 womans evaluate 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 scarce 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... ...ren (Cow 2233). Letting a man dictate a womans personal choices like this may seem surprising in todays society however, at the time, Islam was viewed as relatively progressive for women. Like with Christian ity, Islamic women are not mens equals, but instead are provided by Islam with additional rights than before. Under Islam, women experienced more progress than complacency. Thus, womens situation under Islam is more beneficial than their situation under Greek and Roman rule.Overall, womens status in society improved in many different aspectssocial, legal, and otherwiseunder both Islam and Christianity, especially when compared to the Greek and Roman periods. However, womens 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.