Traditional role of women in modern society
Traditional Roles of Women in Religion and the Challenges Imposed by Modern Society
A man is incomplete without a woman, and a woman is incomplete without a man. These two species work together to keep the cycle of life going. One cannot function without the other but one is also different from the other. Religion has divided and has helped men and women understand their duties and responsibilities. There is a great deal of balance between these roles. According to all three religious traditions, women are responsible for maintaining the home while the men work to provide financial stability to the family. This ideology has been regarded as “sexist” in modern society. In today’s age, society demands equality for both men and women, politically and economically. This “feminist” theory has led to the rejection of traditional roles of women laid out in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. If not rejection all together, it has definitely posed challenges for women of these faiths to keep up with their traditions. In most of these religions, women are discouraged from taking on roles of religious leadership but even the religions have been giving thought on altering their ideologies to accommodate feminism. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a commonality by describing the role of a woman to be of a homemaker, which is greatly challenged by modern society.
The primary role of a Jewish woman is to focus on becoming a good mother, wife, and keeper of the household. Before the rise of modernism, women depended on men economically unless they inherited money from their fathers. Men were to earn and provide financial support while women looked after the wellness of the home. In Talmud, it says, “all the blessings of the household come through the wife, therefore should her husband honor her.”1 A woman is not merely her husband’s slave. The work that she has been given to do, has a lot of value in Judaism and the religion demands that her husband honor his
A man is incomplete without a woman, and a woman is incomplete without a man. These two species work together to keep the cycle of life going. One cannot function without the other but one is also different from the other. Religion has divided and has helped men and women understand their duties and responsibilities. There is a great deal of balance between these roles. According to all three religious traditions, women are responsible for maintaining the home while the men work to provide financial stability to the family. This ideology has been regarded as “sexist” in modern society. In today’s age, society demands equality for both men and women, politically and economically. This “feminist” theory has led to the rejection of traditional roles of women laid out in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. If not rejection all together, it has definitely posed challenges for women of these faiths to keep up with their traditions. In most of these religions, women are discouraged from taking on roles of religious leadership but even the religions have been giving thought on altering their ideologies to accommodate feminism. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a commonality by describing the role of a woman to be of a homemaker, which is greatly challenged by modern society.
The primary role of a Jewish woman is to focus on becoming a good mother, wife, and keeper of the household. Before the rise of modernism, women depended on men economically unless they inherited money from their fathers. Men were to earn and provide financial support while women looked after the wellness of the home. In Talmud, it says, “all the blessings of the household come through the wife, therefore should her husband honor her.”1 A woman is not merely her husband’s slave. The work that she has been given to do, has a lot of value in Judaism and the religion demands that her husband honor his
Bibliography: John Paul II, “Thoughts on Women – Address to Italian Maids,” April 1979 The Holy Quran Al-Tirmidhi Ahmed and Nisai (sayings od the Holy prophet) Ephesians Proverbs