Inequality is the disparity of distribution or opportunity and can be looked at through many positions from a sociologist standpoint. This paper will look at the basics of gender inequality within marriage through three different religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Looking at the basics of gender inequality one can ascertain that it is a learned behavior beginning at the developmental stages of childhood. According to Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development under the preoperational period (2-7 years of age) during the intuitive phase (4-7 years of age) a child’s “speech becomes more social…has an intuitive grasp of logical concepts.” In addition “concepts formed are crude and irreversible” which makes a child extremely susceptible to social perceptions set in place by the parents who in-turn are governed by their perceptions according to their particular faith. A part of a child’s upbringing involves what I call “social programming” which adheres to Piaget’s stages of development chart. This social programming happens when the parents pass on their behaviors to their children during the intuitive phase. For example something as simple as religion can be a product of social programming. By taking a child to a specific church consistently he or she will come to identify themselves as a part of that particular religion. Within that religion they will learn what their parents have learned and that is how they are to behave in accordance with their gender.
Without going into specifics on the three religions that will be discussed we can identify some of the obvious commonalities between them. Each of the religions sees the male as the dominant of the two genders and the female of the lesser being of course. Also they all have set in place roles that each gender is assigned to perform. Each of them have the male being placed in the superior role. These roles are especially true within a marriage.
What is marriage? According to Webster’s Dictionary a marriage is “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.” It can also be stated for those of the same sex, but for the purpose of this paper it will be examined from a heterosexual standpoint.
In a heterosexual marriage you will find conflict between the husband and the wife and this is where religion is supposed to help out.
Some’s definition of Marriage is when two souls coming into one soul –still distinct but forming one entity. Being raised in the church, marriage is when two people come together, declaring their wedding vows to each other and to God. Marriage is
Gender inequity is caused by old stereotypes that no longer apply in society, but still exist.
It is clear that throughout the Western tradition men and women occupied different roles in different civilizations. Separate rights and privileges were awarded to either sex based upon the places that their cultures designated for them. Though every culture had those that would (often justifiably) upset the order of things by challenging conventional gender roles, ultimately, one was more likely to be confined by the limitations of what society said one could do. Religion in particular tended to codify the separate treatment of men and women; it could not be easily defied, because of the divine power behind it. Although no two religions were quite the same, a few generalizations can be made; monotheistic cultures allowed less fluidity between masculine and feminine gender roles and gave males a more powerful place in their societies, where polytheistic gender roles permitted greater flexibility and were more likely to sanction female authority figures.
From a Christian’s point of view, marriage is an institution created by God between a man and a woman (Mat 19:3:4) The book of Matthew goes on to show that for the sake of marriage a man would leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. Copeland refers to marriage like a tent, whose walls shelter a man and a woman - one man and one woman - the one consecrated to the other (Copeland, M 2015) http://executableoutlines.com. God’s plan for the married couple is to avoid temptation and fornication. According to Matthew 19: 6, “What therefore hath God joined together, let not man put asunder.”
...al activity. Yet, unlike Judaism, Islam is highly strict on female roles and responsibilities within their culture. Judaism believes that women’s role should be more significant than the male’s, which in comparison to Christianity believers, who follow the theories of both genders playing a significant role. All three religions have the same belief that both genders should be equal in today’s society, and they use The Creation Stories to enforce this belief.
What is marriage? Based on what a person believes, marriage can mean many different things. For example, someone with a Christian background might say that it is a holy matrimony of man and woman. For someone with a background of atheism, it might mean committing to their significant other, which ever gender they are, for the rest of their life. However, this can change from person to person depending on what they believe marriage is.
Author and feminist Alix Kates Shulman said once: “Sexism goes so deep that at first it’s hard to see, you think it’s just reality” (McEneany). That quote sums up perfectly the way our society runs. There is no class teaching children how to act according the their gender. Yet little boys and little girls learn at a very young age what is expected of them. They get ideas about their gender roles from their parents, their school teachers and subconsciously from the toys they play with and the television shows they watch.
The Arab world is traditionally and originally a male-dominated culture, where male authority is the norm throughout most Arab countries. Subsequently, even with the introduction of Islam and the acknowledgement of women’s rights coming about in the early 20th century, as will later be described, there still remain those traditional components that affect male-female interactions and relationships in Arab societies. Gender and gender inequality are present in Arab societies still today and are at the forefront of Arab societies. Aspects of gender inequality, for the most part, appear with respect to those of employment and education opportunities, political rights, and justices in marriage. As a starting point, one can stress that there is a general view, on a large global scale that Arab society is one where gender issues and gender relations exist despite the recent protests/riots.
Gender difference as inequality is all shaped by economic, political, social and cultural factors. In the global context these division of the world formed radical difference between economic zones characterized by extremes of wealth and poverty. Yet, these in equal relationships are often reproduced within under developed societies where non-white women often find themselves at the bottom of the hyracial division. Hence the factors which produce different form of oppression consist of class, ethnocentric and racist practices, and heterosexism.
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.
Darity William A. Inequality, Gender." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 624-627. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
The issue of gender inequality will never truly be solved in the United States. This arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles as well as biologically through hormonal differences, chromosomes, and brain structures. Gender inequality is defined as unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on gender. One of the reasons for gender inequality is income disparities. Another reason is because of the positions in the workplace. Thirdly, the reason is because of beliefs that one another has. For these reasons is why these situations should be examined to get to the root of the problem.
Marriage is termed as a legitimate commitment or social establishment which unites two people mutually as husband and wife. The agreement ascertains privileges and responsibilities amid spouses, spouses and children and spouses and in-laws. Marriage is deemed to be a momentous union in every society. It is significant in terms of providing security, emotional support and fulfilling economic, social, cultural and physical needs. These needs are the natural cravings of young adults that drive them towards matrimony. It is a foundation that is based on personal responsibilities which form the backbone of civilizations.
What is Marriage? Marriage is when people are being united together as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by the law. Marriage hasn’t always been how it is now, where women have a say in family problems, and where woman have the right to choose whom they want to marry. Before during the ancient times, women had to marry those in their families, and could not marry those that were Marriage use to be all about doing what you needed to support your family, which meant you married someone who was able to give you what you needed. Marriage wasn’t because you loved someone, but it was always because people wanted to preserve power. Now in the marriage, people marry, because they love each other, and because they want to make an effort to spend the rest of their lives together.
Women who have the misfortune of living in predominately Muslim societies often are confronted with adversities concerning their rights in marriage, divorce, education, and seclusion. Consequently, many Westerners seeing a lack of equality towards women in these societies consider it as a confirmation of their own misconceptions about Islam itself. Islam is often rejected as being an intolerant and violent religion that discriminates against and subjugates women, treating them as second-class citizens. From a Muslim’s perspective, Islam’s stance on women can be approached by two opposing views. Scholars amongst the Muslim apologists have claimed, “The verses in the Qur’an represented Muhammad's intention to improve a debased condition of women that prevailed during the Jahiliya, the time of ignorance before Islam came into being.” (Doumato, 177) If inequalities still exist between men and women, they cannot be attributed to Islam, but are a result of the misinterpretation of Islam’s true meaning. Others have entirely denied the notion of inequality between men and women in Islam, claiming that the alleged inequalities “are merely perceived as such by foreign observers who confuse seclusion and sex difference with inequality.” (Ibid.) Many Muslim apologists defend the Koran as noble for the very fact that it raises women to an equal status of men despite their inferiority.