The interaction between Gender, Religion and Culture

The Interaction Between Culture, Religion, and Gender Mahapajapati Buddhist College, Mahamakut Buddhist University, Nang Mwe Phaung (ID - 6110920331012) Course - BU 5010 Religious Studies Instructor - Dr. Panatchaya Leelayouth Contact - [email protected] Introduction Religion, culture, and gender play a vital role and foundation in society. Religion and culture are intertwined, the religious practices become an element of the culture. Religious teachings cover and are ill with culture. Both religion and culture provide interpretations of gender roles. Different religions and cultures might need different statuses of women and men in diversity society. Besides, religion shapes the behaviors, conception, attitude of gender and culture are concerning the duties and responsibilities of women and men. When talking about gender inequality, the sources of issues might be analyzed. Consequently, religious, and cultural norms: a patriarchy structure, polygamy, and female infanticide, are the sources of gender inequalities. Also, the myths or fairy tales of gender described the status of ladies and men, those concepts became the beliefs and application and shape the role of men and girls. These myths are one of all the sources of gender inequalities. To protect gender discrimination, freedom of belief and practices, women's rights, International Human Rights is invented. 1. Constructs: Culture, Religion, and Gender Most scholars controversially described Religion, culture, and gender because of the basis of social constructs. Culture is the concept that has religion as a component of aspects. Besides religion conducts interpretation of the status of gender in society. Hence, religion is predicated on culture, and gender status is primarily from both culture and religion. 1.1. Culture 1

Culture could be a crucial and definitive sect for human beings. The societies have instituted the principles, and contracts under the identical culture, and classify the collective identities. Moreover, there are two classifications of culture: Social culture and ideological culture. Social culture mentioned the development of the social organization and ideological culture is interpreted with the concepts, practices, values, viewpoints as a faith. Various cultures are the sources of the diversity of spiritual ideologies. Additionally, culture creates the status of family members, affiliations, gender, and country. The influence of international culture and norms may cause disrespect with some cultures, like gender inequality norms. These norms could be against the original culture in an exceeding minority group. 1.2. Religion Religious teachings create social behavior, structure, and morals, and ethics. Culture and religion have an intertwined relationship. There is no society without religion and culture surviving around the world. The monotheistic religion: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and polytheistic Hinduism stated opposing gender equality. These monotheistic religions have already had holy books described authoritative definition and practice, and clarify the preservation and propagation of the beliefs. Besides, there are strong frameworks and structures, the powerful norms that regulate the livelihood of societies and individuals. The monotheistic ideology is against the modern-value of Human rights and women's rights to treat equally. 1.3. Gender It is a viewpoint of society on the status of sex. Gender is not sex identities from the physical form. But it is from the perspective of religious, and cultural moralities describing sex status in society. Gender is the center to receive religious teachings. The religious has a crucial effect on the role of sex. The livelihood of men and women is predicated upon religious rituals and practices. Moreover, religion also shaped the status of gender. In a society, it is classification among women and men in participation in religious services and rituals. Various religious systems incorporate a diverse system of gender. According to the World Health Organization, the gender role is assessed by culture following the given attitudes, practices, beliefs, behaviors, and suitable actions to survive in each society. Besides, gender is extremely important in developing social civilization because it is relevant 2

to the available chances of the given cultural norms. Women’s lives have a lower classic than men. 1.4. The interaction of religion and culture In some aspects, religion, and culture are included in numerous styles of types of sections. However, there are mutual sects that both culture, and religion refuse gender equality that is the International dimension of equality. Religion is the basic path of human being’s experiences and interpretations of the character of the world. Culture mentions the way of people’s experiences and understanding the world. The connection between religion and culture is opposed to Human rights. Especially, human rights prove the difference between religion and culture. Otherwise, accurate distinctions are not proved, with the long cultural practices forming religionization and religious teachings and practice conducting a body of culture. There is some disagreement among scholars concerning gender inequality, and human discrimination is cultural ideologies and practices. These insinuations are a matter of culture, not as a faith. There are two classifications of culture described within the following content. Firstly, the category of expression: arts, heritage, cultural field, music, and secondly, the category of ideologies: social values, social norm, ethics, and moral, social principles, social belief system impact on the physical and mental action of individuals during a society. These interpretations create clear features that religion and culture covered and were covered. 1.5. Gender in Culture Culture defines the role of gender in society. Culture influences on behaviors, concepts, attitudes, duties, and responsibilities of gender. Cultural practices affect individuals or groups of individuals of thinking, behavior, language, art, ideology, attitudes, and values. Culture not only is the reflection of the social gender system but also connects the views of ethics and morals on sexual diversities. The influence of culture is multi-classic: the national culture is the most extreme. Religion, ethics, moral, social level, the role of gender, education are parts of social culture. There are differences between sex and gender: sex is the distinction between biology and gender is the distinction of social perspectives. According to cultural dimensions, gender discrimination is stated by culture. Moreover, it is interpreted by the religious, natural, environment, and historical sections. The role of gender does not show discrimination but it is including abuse of human rights. Gender inequality is conceived by various perspectives of individuals in the division. In Hinduism, God: Kali is a woman 3

God: as a representative of affection, beauty, sex, and fertility. The sample of Christianity, the trinity: Father, Son, and holy spirits, are masculine. 1.6. Gender and Religion The international researches of gender and religion were examined during a decade. To request religious teaching, or order, gender plays a vital part. Religious teaching and practices have sway on gender behaviors and perceptions. Religion provides different duties and responsibilities of gender. In almost religious traditions, the patriarchal relations are emphasized. In religious leadership, the males are the priority, and women are provided religious identical and spiritual positions that invent the gap among gender. In practice, women are great religions and are conducted in some research papers. Within the period of animism religion, spirits or Goddesses are not described as any gender. When polytheism was developed, and polytheistic Goddesses were primarily classified as a gender since the 19 century. Monotheism worshiping one God are typical men: in Christianity: Christ, Islam: Allah and Judaism: Moses. 2. Religion, Culture as the source of gender inequality Religion is a part of a culture so cultural ideologies influence and is roofed within the content of religion. Besides, religion and culture are the sources of gender inequality and oppressively pressure on women, especially in Africa. Mostly, in culture, patriarchy is preserved and against women's rights. The contents of patriarchy are involved that the preference for a son, heading to female infanticide, female genital mutilation (FGM), force daughter into marriage: child bridge, arranged marriage without agreement with daughter, just allowed male to own land and finances in an exceedingly family, just allowed male to line disciplines and feminine need to obey as a wife, polygamy, cond uct sexual violence, and respect women as housewives, mother. These contents are recorded by the Committee for Elimination of Discrimination against Women. There are many stereotypes of women mentioned in culture. Especially, it is regarding, \"Women are just housewives and mothers.” The limitation of opportunities for women involved as a part of societies, economics, politics, and religious factors. Both religion and culture have mutual appositeness to Human rights and gender equality. Religion has the ability, and therefore, the legally institutional structure to impose their religious norms, particularly in monotheism. Specifically, in religious norms, a patriarchal structure against women's rights is supportively stated. Especially, various patriarchal norms rooted in numerous monotheistic religions. These patriarchies emphasize men as inclusive religion and women 4

as exclusive religion. The sample, the holy book: The Old Testament in three monotheistic religions signifies the clarification of patriarchy in the imagined fairy. Moreover, the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an states the role of women’s being barriers to men. The concept of polygamy in religious norms is sustained permitted. Women are still prohibited to participate in religious services, freedom of life, and public life in some religions. Women do not have any ownership rights to settle on their partners and rights to divorce in their life. 3. Gender inequality and Religion Globally, women play diverse roles in society around the globe. There are gaps among men and women within the aspect of politics, economics societies, and religions. The structure of social features built up gender inequality within various effects on various religious beliefs. These inequalities are from the norms of religions, social culture, historical civilizations, and traditions. Especially, the influence of religions involves the predominant role within the body of every culture. Besides, religion has deeply rooted the guts of human experiences and affects socioeconomic and therefore, the development of politics. The role of gender was interpreted by the religious text among religious communities. Controversially, gender inequality in religious commitment is the topic of the scholar's debate for several decades. Even nowadays, searching gender inequality in religious commitment was increasingly inspiring to clarify within the academic field, public debates, and a discussion within the classroom. From some sociologist's perspectives, the gap among gender is the biological nature developed. There are two significant classifications in gender inequality in religions. Those are the internal and eternal religious barriers. The perspective of internal religious barriers has assimilated the belief and practice of religion that described the role of women and men to require responsibilities to worship, positions in religion, faith in gender God, and figures of religion. The aspect of the eternal religious barrier is committed with the role of leadership in religion and laity and the different perspectives of faith in society. The emancipation of women and therefore, the balanced treatments among gender were clarified as predominant features for society, politics, economics, and the civilization of society. The social norm and ideological religion are intertwined and canopy the pattern of the social system. Hence, the clarification of the position of women in religion can manifest the status of women in society. Certainly, there is one curious question that asked how important the influence of religion on gender inequality and the position of women in society. Each religion has grown up in different traditions, institutional bases, geographical history, and instructions, so the conceptions on gender have exactly various views of the status of men 5

and women. In some researches mentioned the role of men was dominantly served within the religious life and social structure. Somehow, the participation of women in religious ritual is partly refused. Especially, God or the creator of religion is always a man, and the role of women is emphasized as the mother of the creator. Normally, her position is in the house with less chance to participate in social events or religious ceremonies. Moreover, most world religions mention that women have an important role in a family and respect as a wife or mother. 3.1. Monotheism and gender status The monotheistic religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and Zoroastrianism, God is a male and solely worshipped. There are no female prophets or religious leaders in each religion. Primarily, women are just performers of religious ritualism. Furthermore, the main role of women is to please, to provide services to the husband, and to have a subordinate status in society. Besides, as a woman, a mother is an especial role in Islam and Jews. Recently, the given rights for women such as rights to divorce, own property, and remarriage are revealed in most countries. Following the quotes within the Old testament, Yahwah is a sole male God, represented as a father. In the monotheistic religion, patriarchal norms are spread. Women had an exclusive role in the power hierarchy and defeated the man’s power in the family. In Christianity, the myth of the Old Testament, male, and women were gendered through a patriarchal structure. In Islam, the holy book, the Qur’an wrote that women are inferior to men. Both Judaism and Islam permit a polygamous society, provide the top and powerful priority to men. In some monotheistic religion’s branches, women do not have any permission to attend religious companies, are limited to participate in some religious ceremonies, serve inequality inheritance, and just a husband being a family’s head. 3.2. Polytheism and gender Status The role of gender in polytheistic religions is interestingly attractive because polytheism emphasizes the status of women over monotheism. The characteristics of masculine and feminine spirits are respected in polytheistic religions. However, the very best polytheistic God are men such as Braham, Vishnu, and Shiva in Hinduism. In polytheistic tradition, the highest God and Goddess must be worshiped. There are many dominant female goddesses such as Kali, Shakti, Lakshmi, Parvati in 6

Hinduism, in Buddhism, a female Buddha named Vajrayogini. Even though women are currently viewed as evil creatures, but it is a better status within the ancient era. 4. The Myth of Gender as a source of gender inequality In mutual religious content, people were created by God. Besides, men and women are created by God in many major myths. (Gascon, D. 2018) God first created man and gave specific forms to the man to do works: building the world through God’s orders (Adam). A woman was created after a man. Women were from men’s species. In the myth of Genesis, a woman Eve was created by God to assist a man Adam as an assistant. The explanation God created a woman is that it might not be happy to let a man is to be alone. In Greece’s Prometheus myth, a woman is a sole tool to destroy a man. Within Korea's Dan Gun Legend, the role of man: Dan Gun played to be the Korean’s Kingdom and a female: Bear was a woman who was an animal in the past life. India’s KausitakiBrahmana Myth mentioned that a man was created to assist God, and a woman is from a man and invented sex. Within the Philippines, 'Malakas and Maganda quote, the role of Malakas was strong and therefore, the viewpoint on a female, Maganda was beautiful. Moreover, within the myth of Zimbabwe’s Wahungwe’s sayings, a man ( Mwuetsi) can practice the Polygamous, and a woman named Massassi was born to be a pleasure of a man. Besides, with the fairy Wisconsin’s The Menominee and Manabush, men (Bear and Eagle) were mentioned as a robust and big male, and the woman (Beaver) was weak and little. The first men in various myths are Adam, the Eagle, the Bear, Malakas, and Dan Gun, and the women are Eve, the Bear, Pandora, Maganda, and the Beaver. The assorted myths described the man as a much better creation than a woman. Globally, various myths created the status of gender indifference and effect on the psychology of individuals. Consequently, these influences were increasingly getting into Human's ideological perceptions and beliefs. Continuously, these myths are the ideologies that humans confine practice becoming the views on gender and treated men and women’s inequality. Eventually, those created myths were passed generation to generation, and eventually influenced the human attitudes on gender. 5. The role of women in religion The different roles of women and men act in human attitudes and religious teaching. There are diverse religious beliefs that promulgate the ideological gender and have the varying status of gender roles. Especially, most religions persuade that God made the role of men and women. In Hinduism, women just like the energy’s form. In many Hindu scriptures, women are respective too. However, some religions respect men as superior to women. 7

5.1. Christianity In Christianity, the task of women is house managing and men's task making a public decision. It is a proverb: “Women should learn in silence, and every one humility. I do not allow them to teach or to own authority over men; they must shut one's mouth.” This proverb proved that the rights of women are limited. In a family, the head of the family men, and therefore, the head of women are men. Within the scripture of Genesis, God said that it is bad to be alone, he will create women for him to assist. Besides, women and men are indifferent statuses in society. The patriarchal system was strictly stated. Besides, the leadership roles in religion are strict and imposed. Even though both women and men are spiritual equals and women’s ministry is important to Christ’s body, in a church, women are excluded from leadership roles over men. Women cannot be a priest. 5.2. Islam In 2006, Islamic feminism found out gender equality and justice to prevent Islam women. According to the Quran scripture, it is not mentioned the status of women and men. Men were emphasized as predominant positions, and women must be obedient to their father, husband, and son. Polygamy is practiced in Islam. At least, men can have four wives. Muslim women must be married by their parent’s arrangements. Women are prohibited to wish publicly and must isolate themselves in spaces. Moreover, women do not seem to be allowed to pray during their menstruation because it is believed that they are not cleaned. In some Muslim countries, women were forced to wear a specific dress and Hijab. It is a form of women’s right to believe what they want. 5.3. Hinduism Hinduism has a complex and diverse viewing of women. In Hinduism, Vedas, the Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Baghdad Gita, is the fundamental and popular scriptures. The scriptures pointed out the social and religious frameworks, the role of gender, duties, and responsibilities in Hindus’s society. Hindu tradition: Swayamvara, are a custom that a girl is arranged to marry from the list of suitors. Within the Vedas, women have a specific duty to help husbands to obligate duties and continuing traditional generation to generation. Women cannot lead to celebrate in any Vedic ceremony. Manu Smriti: Hindu text mentioned that “Where women are worshipped, there the Gods are pleased.” In Hinduism, women have limited freedom. Women are controlled by men. In Hinduism, the role of women is valued as the women performed as a slave. Besides, a woman has prohibited not tot meet any men within her family without a family member present. Indian women are risking the high rank 8

of prostitution, the neglect, murder, abuse of ladies, and the women’s number sold into slavery 5.4. Buddhism Buddhism has little or no gender discrimination. It is the head religion that has opportunities for women to reinforce their spiritual development. Gautama Buddha mentioned women also have the highest capabilities to attain liberation. Buddhism doesn’t mention the men superior to women. However, the physical and biological differences among sex are accepted. Both men and women have crucial and useful roles in different aspects of society. The Buddha valued the role of men and women in developing better situations. In a family, women, and men should share equal responsibilities. A husband should treat a wife as an exponent, a partner. In practice, it is less opportunity to let women cause religious concepts. 5.5. Confucianism Confucianism is extremely dominant in Chinese culture, include Taoism, Buddhism. Women are an all-time class in the Confucianism. Confucianism is rooted in Chinese culture, not as a religion, but it is as an ethical ideological, and philosophical sociology. Confucian is the ideology of gender prejudices, that Women have lower ranks and men have a superior status. These actions are binding feet, widow suicide, loveless marriage, women infanticide, polygamy, and concubinage. Yin and Yang: the concept of Confucian clarifies the classification of gender. Yang and Yin do not seem to be considered as a male and feminine, and sex is often described as yin or yang in step with a written context, to their most general connection to each other, yin refers to the feminine and yang the male. Men are viewed as a positive viewpoint and Women seem to love a negative one. In Confucian, women are requested to follow three obedience and four virtues. These are 1. Once you are a young lady, you must follow your father, 2. After you are married, you must follow your husband, and 3. when you are a widow, you must follow your son. The four virtues are conduct morality, proper manner, modest speech, and diligent housework. The patriarchal society is practiced and women are inferior status in a family and society. In Confucian's view, the greatest job of women is birthing to a son for a family. Most Confucians believed that women just like the adherence of men through proper and natural. In the same moment, women's honor and power as mother and mother-in-law in their family were mentioned. 9

6. International Human Rights Conventions International human rights conventions protect individual’s rights, women’s rights, rights to gender equality, and rights freedom to beliefs or religions. The UN revealed rights to freedom of religions or beliefs to safeguard the intolerance and discrimination through cultural and religious traditions. Besides, UN women are known as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The United Nations entitles activities to empower women. Nowadays, the population of feminists is growing, and increasingly participating in faith activism. These activists drive to reinterpret the teachings, and laws of religion and encourage women including the definition of religious scriptures. UN women attempt to be a part of the voice to achieve gender equality in each feature of a social network. Conclusion Culture and religion are the dominant sectors in society. Cultural and religious perspectives are so important in gender roles. The roles of gender are given by religion and culture. It is mentioned the interaction between religion, culture, and gender. There is a gender role in numerous societies and religions. Besides, religion, culture, and the myths of gender are the sources of shaping the attitude of women and men and gender inequality. There are different women roles in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Finally, International Human rights are the tool to guard gender discrimination, freedom of beliefs, and individual rights. 10

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