Section 4.

2 - Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities

Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- Know and understand how the role and status of women has changed in society
- Know and understand the religious teachings and beliefs, and non-religious attitudes to the roles
and status of women in society
- Know and understand the attitudes to people with disabilities in society, and how this has
changed
- Assess and analyse the importance of equal opportunities in society.

Activity: Produce a consequence wheel for the importance of human rights. Write ‘human rights’ in the
central hub and then write the consequences of having human rights in a ring around the central hub.
Outside of this in another ring in which they could write the consequences of not having human rights.
You could use this wheel to answer a (d) type examination question.

If there is time in the timetable, a good way to start this topic is by watching the film Mona Lisa Smile,
which tells the story of changing attitudes to women in a college in the USA in the 1950s. It raises many
discussion points.

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB5TOsS5EyI

This is based on an article called the Good Wife’s Guide from Good Housekeeping magazine – although
a humorous take on it, it does show how attitudes were.

List the changes that have happened over the past 100 years, perhaps starting with the suffragettes.
Have these been mirrored by religion? Ask students to research this.

Critical thinking question:

Do you think men and women should have the same rights in religion? Give reasons for your answer
showing that you have considered another point of view.

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk

Look at this video made for the Paralympics in 2016 in Rio. How have attitudes changed to the way
people with disabilities are treated in society?

How important is it to treat all people equally in society? Why?

Key Vocabulary:

Disability: A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse
effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
Disability bias: Regarding and/or treating those with a disability less favourably than others
Equal opportunities: All people being (legally) entitled to equal opportunities in relation to
employment and provision of goods, facilities and services
Equal rights: All people being (legally) entitled to fair and equal treatment
 Gender bias: Regarding and/or treating either men or women more favourably

Changing attitudes towards women in society:

The traditional view:
The traditional view of women is that they are the weaker sex and more suited to the roles of wife and
mother than the world of work. Their character is supposed to naturally incline them towards caring
and virtues like patience, consideration, humility and altruism have been valued in women. They have
often been believed to be more emotional, less logical, less academically capable (especially in the
sciences) and less ruthlessly competitive all of which makes them unsuited to the task of breadwinner.
Historically when women did venture into the world of work it was careers like nursing or roles which
involved caring for children which made use of their natural motherly instincts.

Equal rights and equal opportunities:

The equal rights movement began in the eighteenth century with people like Mary Wollstonecraft
(mother of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley). Mary Wollstonecraft was influenced by the French
Revolution and defended its principles. She went on to argue that if all men were entitled to liberty,
equality and brotherhood (the Revolutionary ideals) then these should be open to women too. She
argued that if women were to be educated like men then they would become just as capable of decision
making and she believed that male/female difference was all down to upbringing. Harriet Taylor
(partner of the philosopher John Stuart Mill) believed that in addition to education women required job
opportunities and the vote.
A job (and therefore a wage) would prevent women from becoming trapped in unhappy marriages
because they would have their own source of income and would not be dependent upon men for
support. The vote would give women a voice in politics.

The campaign for female suffrage (the vote) was taken up by the suffragists (campaigners who used
nonviolent methods) and the suffragettes (who believed that the use of violence was permissible given
the urgency of their cause. The suffragettes used public civil disobedience, rallies and acts of vandalism
as well as leaflets and campaigning to further their cause. Many were arrested and once in prison some
of the suffragettes went on hunger strike. The government passed what became known as the Cat and
Mouse act which permitted hunger strikers to be released to allow them to recover and then rearrested
to serve the rest of their sentence. It was not until 1918 that women first gained the vote and even
then it was not on the same terms as men. However, WWI helped to foster changing attitudes towards
women. During the war years with the men away fighting in the trenches many women took on
traditionally 'male' jobs. This showed that women were capable of more than just being wives and
mothers.

Throughout the twentieth century women were increasingly seen as men's equals. During WWII women
again took on key roles in the country whilst the men were away. The 1960s saw the introduction of
the pill and the Abortion Act both of which helped to ensure that women had more control over their
own bodies and made motherhood a choice rather than an 'occupational hazard of being a wife' (as
Queen Victoria put it)! In the 1970s legislation promised women equal pay to men and made
discrimination at work illegal. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of
Britain.
Legally women in Britain do have equal rights with men and most people would say that they have
equal opportunities (although some people believe that the 'glass ceiling' of prejudice makes it hard for
women to reach the top jobs). However, women in other parts of the world are not necessarily so lucky.
In many areas around the world women face inequality in the workplace, unequal access to divorce and
education, forced marriage and domestic violence.

The Bible is important to all Christians although some take its teachings more literally than others. The
Bible is actually a collection of different books written by different authors and at different times. Many
of the writers lived in patriarchal societies in which women were treated differently to men and the
Biblical authors reflected this world view in their writing.

Many feminists have argued that Biblical teachings have actually contributed to gender discrimination
and stories like Genesis 2-3 (in which Eve is made as a 'helper' to Adam and then leads him to sin) have
been used to justify male superiority.

However, there are other general principles (such as the love commandment) in the Bible that could
easily be used to support the principles of equal rights and equal opportunities. Jesus himself seems to
have treated women with respect and many people would say that his attitude was revolutionary for
the time.

Old Testament women:

Women mentioned in the Old Testament tend to be wives and/or mothers and the women who are
presented as virtuous role models tend to be obedient, loyal and self-sacrificing like Ruth who remained
loyal to her mother in law and looked after her after her husband died.
Deborah (Judges 4:4-8)

4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.
5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went
up to her to have their disputes decided.
6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you:
‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.
7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your
hands.’”
8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

Sometimes women appear in the Bible as weak victims whose lives are controlled by men. For example,
in the book of Judges a man trapped in a house by his enemies sends his concubine out to be raped. In
the morning he steps over her apparently lifeless body before having her dismembered and sent out as
a warning to others.
Powerful women are often presented as sexual temptresses or as manipulative and dangerous like Eve
who leads Adam to sin.
Laws in the Old Testament permitted a man to have more than one wife. They could also take
concubines and sleep with their servants and to sleep (Abraham had a child with Hagar his wife Sarah's
servant). Women were expected to be virgins at marriage or face stoning. Women who had been
raped were no longer marriageable and were expected to marry their attacker. Men could get a divorce
easily by writing a bill of divorce but women could not get a divorce at all.
However, there are examples of powerful women in the Old Testament. Deborah was one of the judges
(rulers) of Israel. She advised the people and gave her generals courage in battle.

Jesus' attitude towards women:

Many Christians believe that Jesus had a very enlightened attitude towards women. Although he did not
have any female disciples he clearly had female followers. His female followers were the first witnesses
to the resurrection and some people (like the feminist theologian Elaine Pagels) believe that Mary
Magdalene was a very important disciple whom Jesus trusted.

Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)

38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left
me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."
41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;
42 one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."

The story of Mary and Martha is a good example to use to demonstrate Jesus' 'revolutionary' attitude
towards women. In the story he appears to support Mary's refusal to conform to the accepted female
stereotype and instead supports her right to sit and learn as the men do.
He healed a hemorrhaging woman even though according to Jewish law she was ritually unclean and to
touch her (or allow her to touch him) should have made him unclean too.
Finally, when Jesus was brought a woman found committing adultery he forgave her even though the
Jewish law said that she should be stoned.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus prevents men from getting divorced for any reason other than
adultery (in other words, he gives the woman some protection).
Women in the early church:
It is difficult to know exactly what role women played in the early church, but their are indications that
they were actively involved in important roles.

In the end of his letter to the church at Rome Paul introduces and recommends Phoebe a 'deacon'.
Deacon literally means 'servant' in Greek and was a specific ordained role within the church a few
centuries later. We don't know exactly what Phoebe was doing, but Paul evidently respected her
contributions. See Romans 16.
Paul also describes husband and wife couple Prisca and Aquilla as his 'co-workers'. Paul was an apostle
who went around founding churches and spreading the word so it seems that Pricsa and Aquilla must
have been doing that too. In Acts (not written by Paul) Pricsa and Aquilla are again mentioned and are
described as teaching the Christian message to a Jew named Apollos.
Women prophesied in church. Acts 21:9 says that Philip had four daughters who prophesied. Paul also
mentions women prophesying and goes into detail about how they should behave when they did it.
The early Christians taught equality that 'there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is
there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Galatians 3:28) and many scholars believe
that they reflected this in their treatment of women.

'Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have
authority over a man, but to be in silence.'

2 Timothy 2:11-12

However, there are also letters written during the early years of Christianity which suggest a less
positive attitude towards women. Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth says that women should
be silent in church and the letter to Timothy (not by Paul) is even more forceful in its language. The so
called 'household codes' in Ephesians and Colossians specify that wives should obey their husbands.

It has been suggested that the early Christians found that they had to modify Jesus' egalitarian message
in order to make Christianity socially acceptable to a traditional society. Their main aim was to convert
people as many believed the second coming and judgement day were imminent. The message of
gender equality may have been considered less important than the main task of saving people from
hell.

Women as wives and mothers:

In 1988 Pope John Paul II wrote a letter called the Mulieris Dignitatem in which he described
motherhood and virginity as the two great vocations of women. In it he held up the virgin Mary as the
supreme example of both. Motherhood was, he said, a way of sharing in God's creative purpose.
Virginity was a way in which women could dedicate themselves to God. His aim was to demonstrate
how highly the Church respects women but many women have found the document patronising and
narrow minded.

Many liberal Christians would argue that God creates individuals with their own particular talents and
abilities. Not all women are suited to motherhood or to becoming a wife and God might have very
different purposes for them.

Ordination of women:
The ordination of women has been a very contentious issue within Christianity. The Church of England
(Anglican Church) first ordained women in 1994 (having authorised doing so in 1992) but still has no
women bishops. Many traditionalists in the Church of England still do not approve of women priests.

The Roman Catholic church does not ordain women. Their arguments against the ordination of women
are as follows:

Arguments against:
The Church has never had women as priests and the current leadership do not have the authority to
overturn two thousand years of tradition.
The Bible says women should be silent in church and should not have authority over a man (see the 2
Timothy quotation above)
Jesus did not have female disciples which shows that he did not expect women to play that sort of
authoritative lead role.
The priest represents Jesus during the service and Jesus was male.
God creates women equal but different. They are created to be helpers of men as wives and mothers.
However, those in favour of female ordination argue that:

Arguments for:
God created men and women, both are in the image of God and both are equal.
Jesus treated women as equals and was revolutionary for his day.
Women were involved in central roles in the early church.
The Bible was written at a time when women were not treated equally and reflects those attitudes. Not
all it's teachings should be taken literally.
Women are just as capable of fulfilling the role of priest as men are.
The Church must modernise to remain relevant in society.
Consider: Does 'equality' mean that men and women have to have completely equal access to all roles?
Is it possible to have equality when there are some roles open to men and others open to women
provided those different roles are viewed as equally important?

(In other words, does the Roman Catholic belief that men and women are 'equal but different' make
sense?)

Changing attitudes towards disability:

UK Timeline:
1601: Elizabethan Poor Law.

1764: First special school for deaf children opened.

1920: Blind Person's Act.

1944: Disabled Persons' Employment Act.

1952: Scope founded to try and fight for disabled children to have equal rights to education.

* 1979: Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons' bill.

1980s: First UK centres for independent living founded.

* 1995: The Disability Discrimination Act.

2000: Disability Rights Commission founded.

* 2010: Equality Act.

Until relatively recently those with disabilities were unlikely to have equal rights or equal opportunities
within society. Throughout much of history there was no social welfare for those unable to work. In
the medieval period it was down to monasteries and convents to look after the sick and disabled as best
they could in their hospitals. This ended with the dissolution of the monasteries. Over a century later
the Elizabethan Poor law of 1601 specified that the 'deserving poor' (i.e those who could not work)
should be provided for by the local parish in poorhouses. By the nineteenth century charities and
organisations had been founded to help support those with various disabilities but equal rights and
equal opportunities were still a long way off. Even throughout much of the twentieth century disabled
children would not have had the opportunity to go to a mainstream school or gain a mainstream
education. Mothers giving birth to disabled children were sometimes encouraged to put them in
institutional homes. Public places like shops, theatres and places of work rarely had any special
provision made to ensure that they were accessible and many people with disabilities faced regular
discrimination and prejudice.

Attitudes began to change after WWI and WWII with the return of many thousands of injured
servicemen. These men disabled in the line of duty had an obvious right to be afforded some level of
protection by the country for whom they had made sacrifices. Many were fit and capable despite their
injuries and did not fit with the stereotypes people had about what it meant to be disabled. The Blind
Person's Act allowed blind people to claim a pension at 50 rather than 70.
As the twentieth century progressed attitudes continued to evolve and there was a gradual move away
from just 'looking after' the disabled towards ensuring that people with disabilities could live as
independently as possible and participate fully in society. However, it was not until 1970 that the
Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act was passed. This act was proposed by MP Alf Morris whose
parents and parents in law were disabled. The Act stated that local authorities had a responsibility to
provide for the needs of the disabled and stated that the disabled had equal rights to education and
recreation. It also stated that public buildings should be as accessible as possible and provide disabled
parking and disabled toilets. It was the first disability rights legislation in the world.

In 1995 the Disability Discrimination Act was passed which prohibited discrimination against those with
disabilities in employment, education or in the provision of goods and services. In 2010 the Equality Act
unified all previous discrimination legislation.

Whilst the law now reflects the principles of equal rights and equal opportunities many disability
campaigners believe that in practice there is still a lot to do. People with disabilities still face prejudice
and discrimination and still have difficulties accessing goods and services.

Christian attitudes towards disability:

Disability in the Old Testament:
The Old Testament does not say much about disability. However, Leviticus says that those with a
disability cannot become priests

'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the
food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or
deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye
defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.' (Leviticus 21:17-20)

But the Old Testament also says ‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’
(Deuteronomy 27:18) which implies that people should not take advantage of others.

Jesus' attitude towards disability:

Note: In the story of the paralysed man lowered through the roof to be healed Jesus does heal the man
by saying 'your sins are forgiven' but many Christians would say that Jesus was using terms that his
audience would understand rather than implying that he himself believed that sin caused the paralysis.

Jesus' healing ministry demonstrates that he viewed the sick and the disabled as equals in need of
practical help rather than pity. Unlike many people of his time he does not seem to have viewed illness
as a punishment for sin. In John 9 Jesus comes across a man born blind and is asked 'Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'. Jesus replied 'neither this man nor his parents sinned'
and went on to heal the man. According to the gospels he healed those suffering from leprosy (lepers
at that time were outcasts who lived on the fringes of society), he healed blindness, deafness, paralysis
and many other things besides.

Jesus also explicitly told his followers to do the same.

The parable of the Good Samaritan (told to illustrate that anyone in need counts as a neighbour and
thus should be treated with love) ends with the words 'Go and do likewise'
Christians would say that all people, regardless of disability are children of the same God and are equal
in value to able bodied people. There are several verses in the Bible which suggest that God can use
weakness and infirmity so it can actually be a strength and some people believe that their are
indications that St Paul had some form of disability or illness as he refers to his 'thorn in the flesh' that
persecuted him.

Practical action:
Abortion = A disability rights issue?

It is estimated that 90% of couples told that their unborn baby has a disability will choose to abort.
Some campaigners argue that this is a form of eugenics and is contrary to the Disability Discrimination
Act. The Roman Catholic church is opposed to abortion of disabled foetuses and argues that the foetus
as an absolute right to life.

Some people support the abortion of severely disabled foetuses with painful life-limiting conditions but
morally disagree with the abortion of foetuses with more minor conditions. In the UK three babies a
day are aborted because they have Downs Syndrome (Daily Telegraph). Campaigners for those with
Downs Syndrome argue that those with Downs can lead fulfilling and semi independent lives. The
Anglican Curate Joanna Jepsen campaigned against the abortion of foetuses with cleft lip and palate.

The Disability Discrimination Act required institutions like the Church of England to ensure that they
were accessible to those with disabilities. Many church buildings are old and were designed without
disability access in mind. They are also often listed which means that they are historically important and
cannot be altered in ways that damage the historic fabric of the building. However, there are certain
measures that churches can take to increase their accessibility:

Ramps and handrails to help those with physical disabilities.

Large print hymn books and service books or braille alternatives for the visually impaired.
Hearing loop systems and perhaps signing during services to assist the deaf.
Visiting the housebound, taking them communion and ensuring that they feel included.
Christians might also work for disability rights by giving time or money to charities that help provide
services to the disabled.

Livability is a Christian charity which (among other things) runs care homes, provides accessible holidays
and helps with rehabilitation of those who have suffered brain injuries. Their website provides details
of their Christian ethos and the range of services they provide.
CBM is a Christian charity working with the disabled abroad.
Through the roof is an organisation which tries to ensure that the Christian message is accessible to all
those with disabilities. They take their name from the story of the paralysed man lowered through the
roof into a house where Jesus was preaching.