Gender Equality & Scripture

Religious Studies: KS3, topic 3.4.8

Gender Equality and Scripture

There are different views on gender equality in the Bible and the Quran.

Many commentators say that the Old Testament of the Bible reflects the patriarchal society of its time (2000-3000 years ago).
'Patriarchal' here suggests a society led by men.
The attitudes expressed in the Bible rarely see women as leaders of society or religion.
There are a few examples of gender equality in the Old Testament, including women prophets and a judge called Deborah.

The same patriarchal point of view was present at the time of Jesus.
This makes some of Jesus' attitudes seem quite radical.
Jesus had female disciples, and he was willing to defend women who had been condemned by their male judges.
On the other hand, Jesus did not teach that women should have the same opportunities as men, in becoming priests or lawyers for example.
In this way, perhaps Jesus reflected the attitudes of his time.

In the Quran (Surah 4) there are many references to women.
Men are allowed to have more than one wife and have control over their wives' lives.
However, men must ensure that they are able to care for their wives.
The Quran also says that women and men are each other's protectors, and women are described as full partners in marriage and the family.
Here we see the attitude of a patriarchal society, but one in which more equality was given to women than was usual at the time.

Both Christians and Muslims refer to the story of Adam and Eve.
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, there are two opposing views of the status of women:
In one, men and women are created together.
In the other, women come later as companions and helpmates to men.
This continually raises the question of religious attitudes towards women:
Are women and men equal or did God intend one to have control over the other?