3. Changing attitudes to Gender roles in the UK:
• It used to be thought that women belonged at home – looking after the house and
children
• In 1918 women were given the right to vote
• In 1970 women were given the right to receive equal pay (doing the same job)
• A century ago only 15% of women worked outside the home and now they make up
about 48% of the workforce in the UK
• During both World Wars attitudes changed because as men left to fight women were
left to do the work of the men
• However many still believed that men should earn more, and children were best
raised my non-working mothers
• Today, men can still earn around 17% more than women
• Also women are still doing the majority of household chores and childcare but are still
expected to work
• Although women have achieved to a degree equal rights, they still don‟t hold
proportionately as many „top jobs‟ e.g. director of a company
• Exclusive (to exclude): an exclusive society is one where certain groups
are excluded, being separated from, where certain groups aren‟t
allowed to take part in various activities etc.
• Inclusive (to include): an inclusive society is one where the different
groups in society are included, being part of, where they can work and
live alongside each other peacefully.
4. Christian Attitudes to equal rights for Women:
• Many Evangelical Protestants believe that a woman‟s role is to bring up the
children and run a Christian home. Women should be silent in church and
must submit to their husbands. Men must provide for the family and lead
the family in religion – only men can be church leaders and teachers. This is
based on St. Paul‟s teachings…
o “…wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is
head of the wife as Christ is head of the Church…”
o “…A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not
permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man…”
• Many Protestants Churches now accept that men and women are equal,
they have woman ministers and priests. They teach that men and women
have equal roles. This is based on a number of teachings…
o “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him, male and female he created them.”
o “There is neither…male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
• Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches teach that men and women are
completely equal and should have equal roles in life. However they don‟t
allow women priests because Jesus didn‟t have any female apostles.
5. Some Think it’s right because… Others claim it’s wrong because…
The gospel requires it – If Jesus died for
all then equality is the spiritual basis of
the Christian community
Jesus chose 12 men – if he wanted
female ministers he would have made
his views known
Genesis states that God created man
(male and female) in his image
There are texts which exclude women
from teaching offices in Church (e.g.
St Paul‟s teachings)
Jesus valued women and appeared
to them first after the resurrection
The decision is made because of
social pressures not Gospel teachings
St. Paul‟s teachings “there is neither…
male nor female… you are all one”
Adam was created first, and it was
Eve who was tempted
The Bible reflects the society it was
written in and therefore needs
reinterpreting
Priesthood represents Jesus at the
Eucharist and believe it‟s not possible
for a woman to do this
Jesus treated all people as equal and
this was portrayed in the parable of
the Good Samaritan
Catholic Churches don‟t allow female
priests because of tradition
Christian attitudes to Female Priests and Ministers:
6. Muslim Attitudes to Equal Rights for Women:
• Islam teaches that men and women are equal and created by God: “All people are equal…as
the teeth of a comb”.
• Muhammad also said in his last sermon: “Your wives have certain rights over you and you have
certain rights over them. Treat them well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and
committed helpers.”
• Traditionally, in Islam men and women have different but equally important roles. E.g. the Quran
teaches that men are stronger and so they should protect women
• The Quran stresses sexual equality strongly in every instruction given, e.g. “…for men and women
who engage much in Allah‟s praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.”
• Muslim women are free to work and many point out that the Prophet‟s wife ran her own successful
business. However a woman‟s first duty is to look after her children and home, and she is entitled
to expect her husband will provide for her, even if she herself is wealthy. For this reason men are
given a „degree of advantage‟ over women because they‟re responsable for providing for the
family
• Women can only inherit half of what a man can because men must provide for their family
• The Prophet Muhammad said: “Whosoever has a daughter and he does not bury her alive, does
not insult her, and does not favour his son over her, God will enter him into paradise.”
• However, in practice these teaching have not been put into place.
• The Quran states that men and women must dress modestly. For men this includes wearing loose
clothing, and being covered from navel to knee in public. For women this includes wearing loose
clothing that is not revealing. Also many Muslim women choose to wear a hijab (scarf), burqa (full
length loose fitting garment) or niqaab (veil covering the face).
• There is controversy about dressing this way as some people argue that it‟s out-dated and that
any identification of religious belief in public school should be discouraged in order to maintain an
equal and unprejudiced society. Others believe it‟s a symbol of their faith, and gives them public
privacy
• Unlike men women are not obliged to attend the mosque for prayer, but most do. In the mosque
men and women are separated but worship at the same time, following the same Imam.
• Girls are given the same religious education as boys and are expected to follow the same rules.
• “The search for knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, male or female”
7. The UK as a multi-ethnic Society:
• The UK is made up of different races, cultures and nationalities living together in one
society
• Although many people are worried about different people coming to live in the UK from
overseas, in fact the UK has always been a land of many races. (Romans, Normans etc.)
• In the 19th century many people from the British Empire were given rights to live in the UK
and during the 1950‟s Britain became truly multi-ethnic as workers were recruited from
India, Africa etc.
• In 2001 the results of ethnic groups in the UK were:
o White British 92.1%
o Asian/Asian British 3.6%
o Black/Black British 2%
o Mixed Race 1.2%
o Chinese 0.4%
o Other ethnic groups 0.4%
• Advantages of living in a multi-ethnic society;
o Helps people of different races and cultures to understand one another better
o It gives a wider variety of music, food, clothes and cultures
o It brings new people with fresh ideas
o Less chance of war as people of different races get to know each other
o It‟s good for religions as people see different races following the same religion
o One can learn positive values and identify and avoid problems
o Value difference as opposed to trying to make everyone the same
o A mixed gene pool can strengthen genetic structure
8. Government action to promoting Community Cohesion
• Community Cohesion means different communities living together and
sharing four things:
o A common vision and sense of belonging
o Appreciating and valuing the differences between different people of
different cultures
o Ensuring equal opportunities for all in the community
o Making strong and positive relationships with people of different races
• The UK has always offered a safe place for people from overseas. Many have
come here to escape (war, suffering or persecution) and others have come in
order to get a job and make a better life for themselves and their families. This
has provoked lots of different reactions from people in the UK – positive and
negative
• Many immigrants have encountered racial discrimination and have been
treated less favorably because of their racial or ethnic origins
• To try to prevent racial discrimination the government passed the Race
Relations Act 1976, making it unlawful to discriminate against anyone
because of race, colour, ethnic or national origin in employment, housing,
education or welfare services
• The following were also made illegal: to stir up racial hatred, to use insulting
words of racial nature in public or to publish articles that could stir up racism
9. Why Christians should promote racial harmony:
• Christianity is opposed to racism. The Bible teaches that all races are equal –
o “For God created man in his own image”
o “God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation”
o “There is neither Jew nor Greek…you are all one in Christ”
o “Love thy neighbor as yourself”
o “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth”
• Jesus always treated people the same way, no matter where they were from. E.g. he healed a
Roman‟s servant, he taught that people of different races and ethnicities shouldn‟t hate each other
but should follow God‟s command to love one another, and a black African helped him carry his
cross.
• The Story of the Good Samaritan:
o Samaritans were treated as outcasts in the time of Jesus.
o It was a Samaritan who did the right thing and helped the man who was beaten and robbed.
o Jesus told this story in response to the question “what must I do to get to heaven?” and the
answer was “love thy neighbour”
• An example of a Christian who promoted racial harmony, would be Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968).
He believed that God created all humans equally, and protested non-violently (Jesus largely
supported pacifism). He was a Baptist Minister, and in his most famous speech he said: “I have a
dream that one day…all God‟s children, black, white, Jews and Gentiles. Protestants and Catholics
will be able to join hands…”
• Today, Christian churches throughout the world condemn racism and encourage all Christians to
treat everyone equally. Another example could be Desmond Tutu, the first black archbishop of South
Africa who led peaceful campaigns to gain equal status for black people.
• In the UK, the Church of England has it‟s own Race and Community relations Committee which
advises Christians about racism as well as advising people of ethnic minorities
10. Why Muslims should promote racial Harmony?
• The revelation of the Quran to the Prophet was for all races and no race can claim to be better
than any other: “Oh humanity, I am the messenger of God to you all!”
• Muhammad declared in his last sermon that all people were descended from Adam and Eve. He
also said: “Oh people, no one is better than another, no Arab is better than a non-Arab, except in
the good works that they do”
• How racial harmony is shown in Islam:
o Muslims all pray together in Arabic to one God
o In the month of Ramadan all Muslims join together in times of fasting and prayer
o All pray facing the kiblah (direction) of Makkah
o Muslims from all over the world make the pilgrimage (hajj) to Makkah
• An example of a Muslim who promoted racial harmony would be Malcolm X (1925 – 1965). He was
an African-American Muslim who became active in campaigning for racial equality. But after
getting involved with drugs and petty crime he was sent to prison where he met members of the
radical Muslim group, the Nation of Islam. They told him they were fighting for a separate state for
only black people
• Malcolm X joined the Nation of Islam which although was a black American movement was
incredibly racist because it would not allow white people to join – even if they were Muslim.
Malcolm X believed in this until he went for Hajj, where he saw Muslims from all ethnic backgrounds
and realized that Islam is not exclusively for black people. He then left the Nation of Islam declaring
it wrong and racist
• He said: “There were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world…But we were all
participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in
America had led to believe could not exist between the white and non-white.”
• Malcolm X had a huge following even though he was a controversial figure. In 1965 he was
assassinated by 3 members of the Nation of Islam
11. The UK as a multi-faith society:
• The United Kingdom is made up of many different races, cultures and religions. It‟s a
multi-faith society where people of different faiths and beliefs live alongside one
another. The UK offers religious freedom to everyone so that all members of all
religions are free to worship. It also accepts religious pluralism – all faiths have an
equal right to co-exist.
Ways to promote Community Cohesion:
• Members of different religions don‟t want to live in conflict with each other as this
goes against all faiths beliefs. However in order to live together in harmony they have
to ensure they:
o Recognize all the things that their faiths and cultures have in common
o Respect the differences that arise between them
o Listen to each other‟s views
o Learn to live and work in unity
o Share common values such as respect, tolerance, charity and non-violence
• Many religions promote Community Cohesion by celebrating festivals and worship.
The Muslim Council of Britain encourages Muslims in the UK to take an active part in
UK society and not to become isolated.
• Religious groups such as the Council of Christians, Jews and the Inter-faith Network
for the UK have been working together in recent years to heal divisions between
different faiths
12. Benefits of living in a Multi-faith Society:
• People can learn about other
religions, helping them see what religions
have in common
• People may see others from different
religions practice their religion more
seriously and may make them think
about how they practice theirs
• People may come to understand why
different religions believe the way they
do making them think about their own
beliefs
• People are more likely to become more
understanding about each other‟s
religions and realize everyone is entitled
to their own opinion about religion
• Religious freedom and understanding will
exist in a multi-faith society and this may
avoid religious conflicts
• A multi-faith society may even make
some people think more about religion
as they come across religious ideas they
have never thought about before
Issues raised around a multi-faith society:
• The multi-faith nature of society in the UK has
caused problems, e.g. major interfaith clashes
where difficult questions have been raised
• Many people argue that the UK is still a mainly
Christian country, and so traditions such as
Christmas should remain an important part of
life
• If one religious group tries to convert the
other, then it implies that their religion is the
correct one. This can cause conflict.
• If two members of different faiths get married it
can cause conflict as families can argue
about the core values they hold. Marriage is
also seen as the basis for bringing up children:
o Can the parents agree on how to bring
up the children?
o What religion will the children be brought
into?
o How will the children be raised?
o Which religious festivals will be observed?
o Which religious communities will the
family belong to?
o The mixture of beliefs and faiths can lead
to confusion.
