I. Introduction
Are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism "male-chauvinist" institutions (Mathieu P. 75)? In this paper I will attempt to prove that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are not "male-chauvinist" institutions, but rather have hierarchy in place that is based on logic and tradition. Firstly, I intend to show that the roles of men and women in the above-mentioned religions follow natural tendencies of both genders. Secondly, I intend to show that Mathieu's argument that both men and women are equally suited to fulfill all societal roles is unrealistically optimistic. Finally, I will try to show how deviation from a gender-biased society can have alarming results.
II. What is Mathieu's view on gender in society and religion?
Mathieu (2000) states that she is "not concerned with all unfair standards, just one: gender (P.75)." She writes, "If positions are allocated according to gender, then no female - regardless of her talents, her education, her aspirations - may perform those tasks assigned to males (P.75)." She clearly states that she feels that the three major world religions knowingly suppress females for the single purpose of advancing the males' social status. She also believes that males used their religion to "brainwash" females into accepting the theory of male superiority as fact (P. 77).
Mathieu also feels that biological differences between males and females, such as their reproductive organs, have very little influence on how they operate in the world. She says that the influences of our environment play a much larger role in influencing our behavior than the genes that we are born with. According to her, it is clear that anatomy does not form ou ...