Week 3

Many of the articles we read for class today were on religion and what it means for women across the world. This is a topic I've been thinking a lot about lately, actually. In many non-Western countries, especially third-world countries, women are treated as the "weaker sex," or regarded as not as competent of men. Many of the beliefs about gender roles and differences between the genders are influenced by religion. In many non-Western countries and regions, religion and politics are very much entwined. In such countries, the lives of their women are profoundly impacted by the influence of their country's government and religion.

We have many immigrants here in the United States and in Fort Wayne that have non-Western cultural, political, and religious backgrounds. The United States is supposed to be known for its cultural, political, and religious freedom. It's our "great melting pot." I do wonder, though, how the lives of women of non-Western religious traditions (specifically those that support gender differences and inequality) are impacted by living in the United States. Is it easier to be a woman here? Or do these woman hold tight to the values and beliefs they've been taught? I see many [presumably] Islamic women out in town who are fully covered in dark robes on very hot summer days. They don't have to be, but they choose to be. Many women are probably still completely subservient to their husbands, with no thought that they could have complete independence. What types of internal conflicts must these women be going through? I understand that in their own countries, they don't have a choice. Even if they want to fulfill a traditional gender role, there really is not another good option. But here, they do have a choice. At what point does your dedication to your religion (or your culture, your values, your husband) take over your identity? Is that ever okay? Can these women choice to be subservient to their husbands, to fulfill traditional gender roles, to be followers of religions that call them unequals, and still be considered competent by feminists?