Student Essay on Women's Roles in the Postclassical Period by Religion

In almost all cultures throughout history, women have always been considered the lesser of the two genders. Religions have maintained the reinforcement and justification of such patriarchal conditions, thus playing a significant role in the oppression of women. While Islam and both Byzantine and Western Christianity all indicate a willingness to look after women, all emphasize the reinforcement and justification of these patriarchal conditions in their respective cultures.

Throughout most of documented history women of all cultures and civilizations have lived under patriarchal circumstances. In almost every religion and civilization women's status was not equal to that of a man's. Women in most cultures are looked at as subservient, obedient creatures that were put on this world for very few reasons, mainly to bear children and do what their husbands require of them. In fact, religions are a big part of the reason of this oppression due to the religion's reinforcement and justification of patriarchal conditions. In this week's selected readings from different aspects of Islamic, Byzantine Christian, and Western Christian cultures, it is very apparent as to how these three religions did reinforce and justify the patriarchal conditions in which women were struggling to live in. Also, by reading the selections one can.....