Religion is both a problemwhere its structures of dominance have oppressed women, as well as the solution where its vision of liberation has generated powerful movements for social change. (Eck & Devaki, 1986)

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 “Religion is both a problem…where its structures of dominance have oppressed women, as well as the solution where its vision of liberation has generated powerful movements for social change” (Eck & Devaki, 1986)

Since time immemorial, women have been considered as an oppressed group and have been controlled by patriarchal societies. Less interest was shown towards the rights, needs, and wishes of women in society. Despite the profound role that women perform in society including being a dutiful wife, daughter and mother, little importance has been given to their liberty and independence. Women were considered as inferior and were ruled by male members of the family. There are a number of factors that affect the status of women in any society. Among the numerous factors that contribute towards the change in social lives of women, one major factor is their religion. Eck and Devaki (1986) have described “Religion is both a problem…where its structures of dominance have oppressed women, as well as the solution where its vision of liberation has generated powerful movements for social change.” They pinpoint religion as the main contributor of problems faces by women, which has sometimes led way for future development of social order, this notion will be explored further in order to reach a conclusion.

Religion provides principles and guidance that assists individuals in living their lives in rightful way. It guides an individual to discriminate between right and wrong. In this way it has an impact on everyday life for every human being. It has been noticed that religion plays a vital role in the social lives of women as it impacts their status and function in the society. Many religions give equal status and value to men and women but the actual lived experiences of the people may not correspond with what the religion specifies. It has been observed that women are considered as subordinates to men and are not allowed to lead their lives independently (Holm and Bowker, 1994). A woman’s image in a society is as an obedient, quiet, innocent, and ignorant person who devotes her life to serve her family. However, religion provides the vision of freedom that asks for a social change.  

Religion contributes towards the social norms, values, and practices of the people who follow it. These are then transmitted from one generation to another. The principles provided by religion  not only serve as a unifying world view but also encourage followers to lead their lives according to given principles. However, religion offers a dual potential as the male dominancy  status in religion has oppressed women, while the guidance and principles of the religion preach the freedom of leading life for both genders (Khan, 2012).

Religion has a great impact on the lives of women. However, certain cultural practices and norms which are, in actuality, independent from religious practices, have been merged with religion leading to a controversial role for women. The way in which people treat women with regard to their religious tradition needs to be discussed and analyzed on a broader scale (Holm & Bowker, 1994).

The status of women in religion differs to a great extent depending on the nature of the religion, its diversity, and its history. However, the major religions around the world (i.e., Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism) portray male domination. The majority of these religions have a dominant role for men as religious leaders. However, the sacred text and principles of a number of religions have acknowledged women’s rights but considering the tradition and culture these rights are not being practiced (Georgetown University, 2012). Considering these facts it is evident that religion has brought about both oppressed and liberal roles for women that eventually influence their social lives. The image and status of women in each of the major religions in the world Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism are discussed furthers to reach a conclusion.

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The role of women in eastern religions is a strange one. There is a big difference between eastern religions in contrast to western religions in their idealistic attitude toward women as compared to the “everyday” role of women. Initially Buddha banned women from monastic practices but later Buddhists allowed them to practice in separate quarters. It is important to note that the scriptures of Buddhism do not talk much about the status of women in society. Although, in certain places it does refer to the equality of men and women but, on the other hand, there are certain stereotypes that ...

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