Theravada Buddhism Religion

The Theravada school of Buddhism known to be the most conservative, or orthodox, branch of Buddhism, is practiced throughout south Asia (Whittemore, “The Branches of Buddhism”). This includes Thailand, where Theravada Buddhism has a direct influence of on government. Theravada Buddhist views on gender roles and women have shaped their legal status in ways that hinder the enforcement of both international human rights law and domestic laws prohibiting trafficking and the sex trade (Peach, 220). The denigration of women in Buddhist teachings facilitates women’s involvement in the sex trade by conveying attitudes that through prostitution women fulfill their role expectations as sexual and inferior beings (Peach, 218). In Theravada Buddhism, Women are

This means that there is no element of “social engineering” as there is in a western-ethical religion such as Judaism. This means that gender roles would not be discussed in Buddhism. This may be confused as Buddhism being more open to less ridged forms of sexually dimorphism, but in reality, due to the lack of “social engineering” it is not discussed. One example of explicit social engineering in a Western religion is Halakhah, or Jewish law, in Judaism (Rich, "Halakhah: Jewish Law"). The law dictates daily life, including a division of gender roles. “In traditional Judaism, women are for the most part seen as separate but equal. Women's obligations and responsibilities are different from men's, but no less important” Rich, "Halakhah: Jewish Law"). In this Jewish law there is an emphasis on the spiritual lives of women being “focused on the mitzvot relating to the home” ("Mishpacha: Gender and Sexuality”). In Buddhism, there is no aspect of social engineering, or law, as it is separate from spirituality. However, even though gender dimorphism is not explicit in Buddhism, it is still unjustifiable for Gudorf to claim that Buddhism is less