Most religions tend to accord women a lower social, spiritual, and moral status than men. This is surely just a reflection of common social and political beliefs, but unfortunately religion lends divine or transcendental weight to common human prejudices. Overcoming these prejudices thus requires overcoming traditional religious beliefs as well.

In the September 2005 issue of Freethought Today, Rachel Evans writes:

I was always particularly curious regarding the Bible’s attitude women as a subservient subset of humanity, and equally curious as to why the adults teaching the classes never wanted me to broach this inequality.

I was brushed off with a dismissive “you’ll understand when you’re older” or a disapproving “it is not for us to the word or working of God.” My distaste for religion grew stronger when my grandmother saw a book I reading by feminist author Mary Wollstonecraft and quipped that “whoever had invented feminism should be drug out in the street and shot.” Apparently, feminism was against the teachings of Christ but shooting someone for holding a belief contrary to your own was not.

It is particularly disturbing when women themselves contribute to, defend, or advocate their own subordinate status — but it’s a very common phenomenon. There are quite a few women out there who truly and sincerely believe that neither they nor any other woman should be accorded the same status, privileges, and rights as men in society.

I find it hard to believe, though, that even sincere religious faith is sufficient to explain why someone would be so committed to the idea of their own inferiority. Some people lack self-esteem, and that might play a role in some of these cases, but most people have a positive self-image and should have enough ego to at least be suspicious of the claim that they are inferior to all men.

Read More:

• Religion 101
• Religion and Sex