The Origin of Gender Roles

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The Origin of Gender Roles

The root of all gender issues which presently exist in society may be traced back to The Creation Story in Genesis. This crucial chapter of the Bible provides evidence supporting that God intended for man and woman to exist as equals, yet he assigned gender roles once Adam and Eve disobeyed him by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree of good and evil. Thus, men have been characterized as the “breadwinners” and women as “child bearers and housekeepers” since the beginning of humanity. The story of Lilith as Adam’s supposed first wife suggests Adam took on a patriarchal role from the beginning, yet Lilith refused to accept his assumed superiority. She initially challenges him, and then leaves him; she represents a rebellious, yet independent woman. Although these two stories on the first man and woman are significantly different, the two convey that men and women have been trapped in certain roles since the beginning of time, and have always had a power struggle between them. Gender issues have not evolved over time; they have always existed.

“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man” (Gen. 2:22).

The order of human creation in Genesis calls into question whether it was intended for a hierarchy to exist between genders. Since Eve is created from Adam’s rib, and as his helper, it is argued she is created merely to support him, and that she derives from him. These claims have connotations of inferiority. However, other evidence in the Bible proves God did not intend for man to be put above woman. He created both in his image, from the earth, and with the intention they would come together to form one flesh. Therefore, sinc...

... middle of paper ...

... patriarchal text. It argues for women’s presence in the Bible, and deeply explores

the stories of prominent female biblical characters.

Swidler, Leonard. Biblical Affirmations of Woman. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The

Westminster Press, 1979.

Swidler compares the status of women from the biblical period to that of women

from the post-biblical period. The author also evaluates the positive and negative

aspects of Jewish and Christian biblical traditions, yet puts more effort into

exploring the positive elements of the biblical tradition as far as women are

concerned.

The Bible.

This is the King James Version which is most commonly used and analyzed. It is

the core to many religions, and narrates the stories of all prominent biblical

figures from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

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