Introduction
The issue of equal rights between women and men over the years has become a debating issue in the society. This is in respect to the involvement of both men and women in social, political and economic aspects. This issue has now become of debate internationally just like “HIV and Aids”, “Terrorism”, and “Global Warming”.
The subject being; women have been the fewer beneficiaries of the social, political and economic goodies that come with it such as holding top positions in offices, making decisions as their male counter parts, and the notion that women are viewed to be just homemakers.
However these discrepancies are apparent, it seems that this is beyond equality rather, it is superiority verses inferiority between male and female which has influenced one sex to be on the higher or lower receiving end in terms of tasks and role undertakings.
To this point, it bring out a discursive topic whether women are equally able to do any task, fulfill any role just like men, and whether any unequal abilities suggest that women are inferior to men.
Body
To start with, I quite disagree that women are equally unable to do any task or fulfill any role just like their male counterparts. By nature men and women are created physically and even physiologically different; men are masculine making them physically stronger, aggressive and outwardly oriented. In contrast, women are usually not masculine and they embody the ideal of internal dignity which makes them not to carry some tasks equally as their male counter parts.
Take an example of a woman who is a carpenter. It’s rare to find one and if there is any, it’s just a few. This doesn’t mean that women are inferior to make good carpenters; only to a few talented women who can make one as compared to virtually all men who can be carpenters. In line with this, it is wrong to interpret the Bible that a woman is second to man merely because man was created first or because the woman was created from the man’s limb.
The hierarchical relation with the man being the first to be created and then the woman, is not justifying that men are superior to women in any undertaking, rather each sex must be themselves, know that God created each of them with unique abilities with which they should take advantage on and complement each other in doing the tasks which the opposite sex is not able to carry (Rabbi Para. 2-6).
Aristotle argument that men are superior to women probably might not have led to the interpretation that male dominance in the rule of society to be as a result of women being inferior rather it’s that act of dominance which makes one group to look superior to the other. In any case both sexes might have different taste to power.
Women in power are still authoritative as their male counterparts; they are wise and able to expediently produce proposals which have positive impact to humanity which means they are really equal to the task as their male counterparts. The difference comes in as result of male dominance that make female look inferior of which is not the case.
I tend to agree with Aquinas thinking that a woman was created as a helper to man to procreate; not necessarily as a workmate or viewing a woman as a misbegotten creature. The issue of viewing women as a misbegotten and defective is just a misunderstanding of the women nature. Man or Woman are all inclusive in nature with a purpose of generation upbringing. Hence, men and women are equal in the presence of God.
But again I disagree with the interpretation of Aquinas quotes that women are as you would expect are subject to man, for the reason that men predominates the freedom to decide. Subordinating women to men, and even saying, ‘A woman’s place is in the home producing and raising babies’ is in its own a chauvinistic thinking.
In any case the superior making use of his subjects for their own benefit and good cuts across the board; be it is men or women who are economically empowered, they will make use of the other hopeless person but that does not mean he or she is inferior to the other person (Gheorghe Para.1-9).
Interpreting Speiser’s commentary on Genesis that a woman’s very identity is dependent on being a man’s wife is in its kind not correct. Being called a woman is a sense of women identifying themselves as female creature and at no point they should be viewed as objects to make end meet for men but rather men or women are not ends in themselves; they need each to make ends meet.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is nothing like women being inferior to men. Both sexes should understand their individual equal roles and endeavor to match each other in their common struggle to improve their existence. By that it means that if men are dominating, they must use their dominant qualities to protect and preserve the feminine character, helping them realize their potentials and vise versa.
Works Cited
Gheorghe, Adina. “Men and Women – Are They Equal or Not?” 2006 Web.
Rabbi, Simon Jacobson. “Women & Men – Different but Equal?” 2000. Web.