Sociology

This particular research thesis paper will make assessments about how women are de-valued in the Christianity- Islamic- and Judaism. Based on historical facts, women have been seen as second class citizens. This research paper will identify key discrepancies in the valuation and treatment of women compared to men. This valuation will be defined by 1. A womans rights. 2.Religious beliefs and roles assigned to women 3. Public and private roles, 4. Sexual exploitations. Furthermore, this paper will show how dehumanizing these positions have contributed and continues to promote a growing disparity toward women in religiously based countries. It is the hope of this writer that a womans worth is not predicated on her gender, but on her contributions that she has made and continues to make as an individual.

Introduction
Can you imagine being born into a culturally religious society that dictates your basic human rights Women born in Jordan, Pakistan, Algeria, Iran, India and other Western civilizations are subjected to and are govern by such discriminatory practices. Basic human rights that most of us take for granted such as the basic right to exercise our appearance in public places, to choose who we want to married, our sexual obligation, or choosing our own public and private roles. Unfortunately these basic human rights have been denied to women who live among or within countries that practice Christianity, Islamic and Judaism. Unfortunately these religious indoctrinations also allows for the amoral practice of Honor Killing. Honor killing has taken the lives of over 5,000 women annually (Jamison 2003, as cited in Burn 2005 30).

Honor killings is a rite of passage to male members of female relatives who have been raped, alleged to have committed adultery, have had premarital sex, been found in the company of an undesirable male, or flirting with a man a free pass to murder his female cousins, sisters, or aunts with little fear of being punished by the law. In doing so, a man is then able to save face, and restore honor back to his family. But where is the honor of killing a female family member on suspicions of such acts when their male counterparts are allow to have up to four wives And where is the honor for killing your sister, aunt, or cousin who has been raped. Shouldnt the male that raped her be held accountable In spite of, such atrocities toward their sisters, aunts, and nieces, these men are usually met with applauds from surrounding witnesses, or met with minimal incarceration, when and if caught. In fact, most walk away with a slap on the back. It is obvious then, when a male member commits such a heinous crime against women and humanity, society has to wonder what does this mean Is the life of one woman just as valuable and equally important to that of the life of one man It is surely within this parameter that we must investigate the dehumanizing of one gender against another.

This research thesis paper will make assessments about how women are de-valued in the Christianity- Islamic- and Judaism. Based on historical facts, women have been seen as second class citizens. This research paper will identify key discrepancies in the valuation and treatment of women compared to men. This valuation will be defined by 1. A womans rights. 2.Religious beliefs and roles assigned to women 3. Public and private roles, 4. Sexual exploitations. Furthermore, this paper will show how dehumanizing these positions have contributed and continues to promote a growing disparity toward women in religiously based countries.

Problem statement
Three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, have historically used sacred texts to impose the inferiority of the female sex. Through a patriarchal understanding of the Holy Scriptures, women have been devalued in different aspects of their life and have become second-class citizens in the modern world. As a result, women are severely limited by religious institutions in their social, economic, political, and religious functions and roles.

Literature Review
It is essential to understand that the Bible is a very important and significant piece of writing that most of society holds to be true, factual, and law. The Bible has its own power and merits, which enabled it to stand on its own for many centuries and it continues to do so up to now. The Bible makes no mistakes as to the status and roles women are supposed to play in the hierarchy of things. For instance, Christianity plays a big part in the value of woman.

Christianity
Christianity is defined as 1. The Christian religion. 2. Christians as a group Christendom. 3. The state or fact of being a Christian. 4. A particular form or sect of the Christian religion (Pickett 2002256). For instance, Christianity is a faith that most of us are familiar with. Christianity arose out of Judaism around the first century C. E. and The main text of Christianity is the Bible (Burn 2005 211). Christianity evolved nevertheless to numerous churches or denominations, although in general, they see themselves as followers of Jesus Christ and hold monotheistic religious beliefs. In the Bible, the book of Genesis has several significant passages that have bound our society into the misconception of a womans worth. These particular scriptures are implicated in the Bible. For example, it states And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (Genesis 1981 222-23 7).

This part of the story is often used to legitimate a husbands power over his wife in the most persuasive of ways  it is presented as divinely ordained (Burn 2005 212 Clark 1994 256). Osiek and MacDonald (2006 9) also described the honorshame code for women to control their behavior.  It is often argued through the use of Biblical text, that because a woman came from the mans rib, she is his subordinate and must follow his rules (Burn 2005 195). She is therefore not allowed to have a voice or have an opinion. From this point on, women have been considered as second class citizen. As a second class citizen she is subservient unto him. He is given immediate authority over her which, is bound by the Christian faith as indicated in the bible. It is this presumptuous right that has allowed women to be treated in a dehumanizing manner.

What is the impact of this passage on the modern Christian world Two words come to mind- domestic violence. Haaken, Fussell, and Mankowski (2007) studied the numerous uses of domestic violence discourse in evangelical churches. They used participant observation of the Christians Addressing Family Abuse (CAFA) conference, in order to depict primary conflicts that stood out between feminist and evangelical Christian frameworks, and the function of counseling principles in understanding different perceptions of domestic violence. Carolyn Rexius and Jackie Hudson are expert informants in this study. Rexius saw domestic violence as both embedded in a system of domination within the church  that is, as a structural problem and approaching it as a misunderstanding of Christian doctrine (Haaken et al.2007 113). She blamed the clergy for frequently colluding in the suppression of women by using the Biblical verses that state that women should always bend to the will of their husbands (Haaken et al. 2007 113). Rexius argued that the Christian concept of humility is also being used to justify patriarchal control (Haaken et al. 2007 113). Hudson, on other hand, did not waver on the role of the church on supporting domestic violence through the churchs inconsistency about issues of gender (Haaken et al. 2007 113). These modern examples demonstrate that Biblical verses are being used to justify the physical and emotional subordination of women, especially during marriage. Marriage then becomes a podium for men, wherein women lose their public roles, and are even undermined in their private gender roles of being a wife, by being a powerless object of oppression and violence.

In addition, the passage Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee (Genesis 1981 316 7). This particular scripture indicates that God is displeased with Eve for eating from the tree of knowledge. God punishes her by causing her extreme pain during childbirth. More importantly, her husband shall rule over her which is ironic since he ate from the tree of knowledge. This is also seen as the fall of Adam, but Gods punishment to Adam was not as harsh and sexist. Especially in this particular passage, Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything (Ephesians 1981522-24 1352).

The womens movement in America that grew powerful in the 1970s led some clergy to push back womens rights advocates. They claimed that the womens movement contributed to the family crisis (Tyler 2007 178).The evangelists of Protestant Christianity, such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Robinson and Jim Baker, used the television to deliver family-gender rhetoric (Tyler 2007 178). This rhetoric depicted the feminist as an evil, bitter, unnatural and self-pitying figure who was greedily grabbing for her rights without any concern for others (Klatch 1987 189 cited in Tyler 2007 178). All of a sudden, only the rest of the world had individual rights- except women. A new coalition of evangelicals and conservative group from the grassroots, known as the Religious Right, amassed popular support for the election of Ronald Regan in 1980 using a pro-family, anti-ERA, anti-abortion platform (Tyler 2007 178). Religious fundamentalism was accompanied by rallying groups from political, educational, and social organizations, all of whom were more or less veiled anti-feminism (Tyler 2007 178). They argued that feminism undermined the sanctity of the family so that feminists can pursue their own individual interest above all else, an ideology that resulted to a narcissistic crisis (Klatch 1987 127, cited in Tyler 2007 178). Because of slogans and images that showed feminism attacking the family, religious, social, and political vies arose to evoke the era of selfless women (Tyler 2007 178). This example shows how the church shapes politics, education, and society to become unsupportive of womens rights. It is not enough that they could use the Bible for undermining womens rights. They even used the media and their spiritual leadership to advocate for selfless women- because all human rights for individuality and freedom apply only to men, and women SHOULD always make the sacrifice for their families, husbands, brothers, uncles, and the every male human member on earth.
These particular passages and examples set the foundation that women are inferior to man. The mere fact that a woman was made from the rib of a man makes her less valuable than a man. More importantly, she was made from his rib to be his help meet, which validates her inequality and the disparities she will continue to face. The passages above set the precedent for religious sects to practice discernment toward women in our society. For centuries women, were not allowed to teach religion because of the stigma that might be associated with the hierarchy of Western cultural civilization religious propaganda.

It places a womans role beneath a man as his foot stool and rates her as a second class citizen not worthy of a commissioned role in church nor a seat in the pews. She is ostracized and not allowed a voice. This is predicated on the premise that the bible has help foster gender discrimination in the form of sexism, classicism, and objectification as specified by those particular scriptures however, the Roman Catholics gave much praise and worship of Mary, Jesus mother. She is considered, as the perfect virgin mother (Burn 2005211), which is contradictory toward how women are devalued, when characterizing a womans role in the hierarchy of Christianity. For instance, Catholic Churches prohibits abortions, contraception, and sterilization, limits divorces and remarriages, and denies the rights of gays and lesbians, although many Catholics do not agree (Kissling 1999).

This has been the indoctrination of Christianity faith a faith that has been discriminative toward women. Christianity is a faith that has dictated the valued of a woman. It tells a woman what she can and cant do to her body. The value of man is not in question, but is obvious that he is permitted to live as he pleases under the sanctity of having one set of rules for men and another set for women. Men are not dictated in this manner at all. They are allowed to live the life of promiscuity. In early Roman history, men and clergies were allowed to fornicate with concubines, have children out of wedlock, and send them to school without repercussions (Gonzalez 19857).

Here is another prime example of sexismobjectification. Sexism is defined as, Discrimination based on gender, esp. against women. Attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promotes stereotyping of social roles based on gender (Pickett 2002 1271). In the article Leave it to the women The exclusion of women from Anglican church government in Australia, Sherlock (2008) explored the debate on the participation of women in Australian Anglican churchs synods and vestries. In 1896, for instance, Tasmanias Anglican synod debated whether or not women could vote in church elections. Synods men asked about the meaning of the concept laymen in secular legislation that formed franchise (Sherlock 2008288). They asked  Were women laymen The diocesan Chancellor made the final decision that they were not, and Tasmanias Anglican women were not enfranchised for another decade (Sherlock 2008288). Since then, the Anglican dioceses debated on the view of accepting women as laymen who can participate in the councils of the church (Sherlock 2008288).  For a long time, many male church leaders believed that female laymen constituted a threat to masculinity of the church and will be obstacles to the churchs development (Sherlock 2008288).  The personal question is Why should men feel so threatened by the female gender Is there gender competition in the church for power Or are men of the church have been too mainstreamed into power that they have neglected to remember that women also wanted to be church leaders and officers and that these aspirations can also be legitimate and meaningful for the growth of the church Only in September 2007, 111 years later, did the Church allowed for women to be bishops, the highest office of the church (Sherlock 2008288).  This devaluation and domination does not stop in the Christianity faith but is extended in the Islamic and Judaism religious faith.

Islamic
Islam has also been criticized by feminist scholars for having sacred text and teachings that delegate private and repressive roles and functions of women (Barlow  Akbarzadeh 2008). The Islamic faith was founded in the eight century C. E. when Muhammad recorded the Koran (also spelled Quran). Koran is believed to be Gods words transmitted via the Angel, Gabriel (Burns 2005 205). The Koran dictates what a Muslim man or woman must do to be in alignment with the word of Hadith (sayings attributed to Muhammad (Burns 2005206), which was also interpreted almost entirely by men who have used them to justify patriarchy (Hassan 2003). These particular practicesscriptures have proven to be discriminatory toward women, because of their religious law affiliation with Shariah or sharia is based on the Hadith.

A Hadith practice dehumanizes a woman, as it infers that since you are a woman, you are ignorant of the teachings and understanding of the law. So Muhammad will interpret these teachings scriptures for the Muslim women. In addition, because Muslim women body goes through so many stages (menstruation, child bearing, and nursing), women lack the strength to obtain decent work, and their minds are unstable (Qureshi 2003 101-103). Women are incapable of making wise decisions. Just as dehumanizing, are other restrictions that apply to Muslim women and they take the form of appearance, sexism, basic human rights, and public roles.

Restrictions such as Casting down ones looks refers to a women not being allowed to look any male in the eye as not to attract any attention from her male counterparts. Muslim women must have their entire body covered after reaching puberty. Muslim women are not be left alone with the opposite sex unless they are married, related by blood, or pass the child bearing age. Women are not allowed to wear perfume, leave the house to flaunt themselves and they are forbidden to not talk in a soft speech (Qureshi 2003108-115).

One of the most inhuman practices of Islamic societies is honor killing. Men are allowed to kill their wives, daughters, sisters, sisters-in-law, and other female relatives, if she does something that is believed to be a dishonor to the family, whether they are allegations or not, such as an unmarried woman having sex, marital infidelity, flirting, being raped, seeing for divorce, and dating without the approval of parents (Burn 2005 30). An example of how common and accepted honor killing can be is when Sarhan Abdullah of Jordan shot his sister four times- in the head (Burn 2005 30).  He did this because her brother-in-law raped her and so she brought shame to their family (Burn 2005 30). He only served six months in prison (Jamison 2003, as cited in Burn 2005 30).  The respect of womens rights is atrocious and appalling. Women are victims of crimes, but through honor killing, they are murdered and their murderers are justified by their society.

Muslim women have no real authority over their own person. They are not entitled to walk with their head held high and talk in their normal voices for fear of punishment. An abused woman is predisposed to same characteristics of a Muslim woman, when she walks behind her significant other with her head held down. There is a disposition that gives credence that she should be ashamed therefore she subordinates herself to her male counterparts. Are we that dense to think that a womans appearance, her attire, her voice, and the wearing of perfume are considered sadistic and evil Islamic teachings take away her rights and freedom, yet are contradictory by using the same restrictions as bargaining tool to further the status of Muslim families.

In Muslims countries, such as Pakistan, Algeria, Nigeria, Yemen, and Iran there was widespread of female genital mutilations (Burn 200553). As a cultural practice, It is also used as a form of deterring females from enticing sex from males, which I find to be quite sexism. It is appalling to see how women are dehumanized and forced to undergo this procedure, yet men are not forced to go through any circumcision. Ironically, the same value system is not set up to desensitize a man. Technically, men are favored and may have up to four wives.

Barlow and Akbarzadeh (2008) described how the Islamic Republic of Iran deals with the status of women. They argued that the states gender ideology is based on the culture of patriarchy, and fortified by a patriarchal interpretation of Islams holy sources (Barlow  Akbarzadeh 2008 23).  A fundamental building block of the Islamic Republics gender ideology is the belief that men and women are essentially different beings in nature (Barlow  Akbarzadeh 2008 23). This is based on the belief that men and women exist and interact with each other through the boundaries of natural gender roles and expectations (Barlow  Akbarzadeh 2008 23). In Iran, this means that women are subordinate to men, because the conservative elite see women as inferior to men in terms of intelligence and independence (Barlow  Akbarzadeh 2008 23). So while Constitution of the Islamic Republic provides equality to women, it is mere lip service Iranian women are discriminated against because of their gender they enjoy neither full de facto nor full de jure equality with men (Barlow  Akbarzadeh 2008 23).

Females are being betrothed in marriages has early as nine years old (which has changed to twelve). In addition, females are the property of their fathers, and once married, husbands. Women are considered a burden and any property would be bequeathed down to their husband (also known as a dowry). A dowry consists of money and goods paid by the brides family to the groom or his family (Burn 2005 21). Since the female is considered to be of so little value, the parents are willing to pay money and goods to marry her off. If the brides family cant afford to pay the dowry they can do an honor killing to save face. Additionally, young girls and women could be sold at the discretion of the family to enhance the status for the family or barter or to squash a feud with the opposing enemy (Burn 2005 23).

Most Muslim countries have a Son preference (Burn 200520) which is a terminology that refers to the preference of having a son over having a daughter. The birth of a son is more valuable than that of daughter. It has become more advantageous to have a son, because they can inherit a dowry (Burns 200521) they are more likely to receive better health care, education, can provide living, and they are considered as the pillar of their community. Another advantage for a male of the Islamic faith is that he is afforded the opportunity to marry up to four women (Queshi 2003 21).

Muslim women also have very few rights as married women. The ulama (Muslim quasi-judicial bodies) direct matters affecting the Muslim communities that include the issues of marriage, divorce, custody, and access of children, up to what foods are allowable and not allowable (Amien2006 732). Their decisions do not have any legal bearing, but they have moral weight that makes many members follow their decisions (Amien 2006 732). The  ulama  is under the leadership of the conservative male clergy that have a generally patriarchal understanding of Sharia, which discriminates against women (Amien 2006 732).  For example, women are frequently informed that their husbands have mandated talaq (divorce) against them, and members of the ulama will only verify the talaqs without ptoper consultation with the wives (Amien 2006 732). This means that only men decides over divorce issues and women have no say in it (Amien 2006 732).  On the other hand, a wife needs the ulamas authorization to acquire a faskh to liberate her from the marriage (Amien 2006 732).  Very few women apply for the faskh because it can be time consuming, difficult, expensive, and sometimes humiliating (Amien 2006 732). These laws, beliefs and practices of Islam also serve to devalue women in the eyes of people and the law.

Judaism
Judaism began in the ancient Middle East around 1800 BCE. It had a large impact on influencing views about women and men, in the same way that Christianity and Islam did (Clancy-Smith 2006 7, cited in Crocco et al. 2009 109). The story of Adam and Eve has also been employed by Judaism to rationalize womens subordination (Crocco et al. 2009 109). Many Christian and Jewish leaders had castigated Eve as not only as the one who caused Adams downfall but also as the first sinner (Clancy-Smith 2006 7, cited in Crocco et al. 2009 109). At the same time, Judaism, Islam, and Christian use sacred text to justify the undervaluation of women as subordinates of men (Amien 2006 732 Crocco et al. 2009 109 Sherlock 2008288). Krell (2000) noted how Jewish critics of feminism denounced the ideas of womens rights because they contributed to the erosion of Jewish continuity and stability (476). Judith Butler, however, argues that gender dialogue does not negate the Jewish culture, but instead, it provides opportunities to a reusage or redeployment that previously has not been authorized (Crocco et al. 2009 109).

Despite the advances of feminism in Judaism, Umansky (1999) described that many Jewish women and men still follow traditional Jewish practices and beliefs that devalue womens place and function in the private and public spheres of life. Though the Talmud espouses equality for all, the rabbis of the Talmud argued that the proper interpretation for this is that not men and women are the same, but rather they complement each other (Umansky 1999 180). Women are viewed as proper for the private functions of the home, and that they have the following responsibilities maintaining of kashrut (right diet), weekly preparation of ones home for Shabbat, cleaning and baking challah in a ritually prescribed ways, preparing food for religious festivals, and kindling the Sabbath lights (Umansky 1999 180). Judaism, nonetheless, also offer positive views on women. Swidler (1976) studied formative Judaism and findings showed that rabbis also greatly value women, which manifests in their beliefs of divorce and death. Rabbi Alexandri stated The world is darkened for him whose wife has died in his days (Swidler 1976 72). While on divorce, Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman said For him who divorces the first wife, the very altar sheds tears (Swidler 1976 72).

Though there are positive views on women, many religious sayings and rabbinic teachings exemplify misogynistic ideas about women. Some of these are the beliefs that women are nymphomaniacs and ultimately, the temptress. In the first century C.E., Rabbi Joshua said A woman would rather have a single measure (of food) with wantonness than nine measures with continence (Swidler 1976 79). Hatred is also mixed with these sexist sayings, wherein Rabbi Simon ben Jochai argued The most virtuous of women is a witch (Swidler 1976 79). He also taught people that women are light-headed and he said a teaching reiterated by the school of Elias (Swidler 1976 79). This demonstrates that he uses sacred scriptures to corroborate his sexist beliefs.

In addition, many of the rabbis place high importance on births of boys, compared to girls. One of the prominent beliefs of this period is  The world cannot exist without male and female children. It is well for those whose children are male, but ill for those who are female (Swidler 1976 79). Rabbi Simon ben Jochai affirmed this and said At the birth of a boy, all are joyful at the birth of a girl, all are sorrowful (Swidler 1976 79). Emphasis is also given on the happiness of being a man. One of the most famous prayers of the time says Praised be God that he has not created me a gentile Praised be God that he has not made me a woman Praise be God that he has not created me an ignoramus (Swidler 1976 79). It is absolutely demeaning to have women equated to the terms gentile and ignoramus and yet these were the prevailing Jewish prayers during the formative years of Judaism. Burn (2005 20) described the consequences of historical practice of son preference, which means that girls are already disadvantages since birth, thereby making them more prone to health problems and social inequalities. Discrimination in feeding and education has created a large health and education gap between girls and boys, as the United Nations (UN) already pointed out (Burn 2005 20).

The rabbis also noted the female vices, as one of the reasons why women are not supposed to be valued as equals of men The rabbis said Women are said to possess four traits they are greedy, eavesdroppers, slothful and envious (Swidler 1976 79). These rabbis taught that women possessed such negative attitudes, yet they are merely generalizations of women. Women are not all greedy, eavesdroppers, slothful and envious (Swidler 1976 79). How can they be greedy of anything if they are reduced to slaves and followers How can they not be eavesdroppers if men do not tell them anything How can they be slothful, when they work from morning until dawn, taking care of their children, fathers, brothers, uncles, and husbands And maybe they do tend to be envious, envious of the privileges of being a man in a patriarchal society.

Unfortunately, my research has proven above and beyond that there is a historical and persistent devaluation of women in Christianity, Judaism, and Islamic indoctrination. Though feminists have valiantly fought for equality in rights and participation in public sphere, there is still a gap between men and female roles and leadership (Umansky 1999 180). Married Jewish women also practice rites that ensure sexual purity (Umansky 1999 181). These laws greatly influenced women because they are seen as misvot or commandments from God, but because by following these rituals, they are believed to ensure the purity of their homes (Umansky 1999 181). However, even for private affairs, like Muslim women,  Jewish women cannot ask for a divorce. Only men can request for divorce in Judaism (Umansky 1999 180). This shows that women are only given obligations and tasks, but in terms in making important life decisions, they are still under the yoke of their men.

The public sphere is also not traditionally seen as a right place for women in Judaism (Umansky 1999 181). Only men can study religious texts and have the obligation to participate in regularly scheduled public worships (Umansky 1999 181). The ancient Tosephta says Everyone is reckoned among the seven persons  (who are called to read from the Torah), even a child and even a woman. But a woman is not to come forward to publicly read (from the Torah) (Swidler 1976 92). There were also direct laws that forbid women to study the Torah, but a number of statements made it clear that women cannot perform this religious practice. In the first century C.E., Rabbi Eliezer said If any man teach sic his daughter Torah, it is as though he taught her lechery (Swidler 1976 93).

Some Jewish practices can undermine womens status in church and society.  Jewish feminism and psychology professor Tova Hartman talked about her questions regarding Judaism and gender equality. One time, she approached the rabbi of a jam-packed Jerusalem shul and asked why women had to seat at the back of men and watch their backs, instead of having equal seating with men (2007 20). The rabbi answered that this was the only way to maintain the sanctity of the space (2007 20). Swidler (1976) also describes segregation practices in the temple and synagogue in the early temples, which provided the precedent being followed today. In Herods Temple, women could only enter the first court, called the court of heathens, which is fifteen steps below the mens court (Swidler 1976 88). Entrance to the court of heathens was also not opened to women, if they were within the seven days of the end of their menstruation, or eight days after the birth of a girl (Swidler 1976 88). Orthodox Judaism also prevents women in leading church services (Burn 2005 210). Even in the temples, women are considered as inferior to men, including female infants and children. These examples show that women are not seen as equally pious or clean as men and not fitting to be their equals.  Women in Judaism are also not provided the equal regard it gives to men.

Hypothesis
Based on this information, there is a lack of equality and balance regarding the value of a woman compared to that of a man. Women are born into an invisible life of slavery. Their basic rights denied are not to be questioned or go against. To question or go against could mean immediate death. Islamic faith has provided every opportunity to show contemptuous behavior toward women. It allows for substantial violence toward women, just for being born a female. If a family member, suspect fornication or adultery she can be killed yet a male is allowed to have four wives. In addition, she can only be a witness to things she is familiar with, such as domestic chores (Queshi 2003299). Any other testimony will have to be accompanied by men of good standing, or two women and one man. And the Christian faith has proven to be just as sexist and discriminatory toward women, which Judaism also propels in its laws, practices, and beliefs. All three religions have, for instance, historically undermined the ability of women to be reliable witnesses (Swidler 1976 115). The hypothesis is that majority of women want a change in their social, economic, political, and religious functions and roles and that they would want to advocate for a law that will encourage religions to provide discourse on gender equality under the framework of international human rights.

Methodology and data analysis
Qualitative research is a great start to collect data. In this process, participants are interviewed. It allows the participants to discuss their personal living experiences while living in religious sects. The interview will provide the researcher and participants an opportunity to talk face to face. There will be open ended questions to allow the participants to express what is on their mind, but it will also allow the researcher to interpret or infer facial express while they are conducting the interview. It allows researcher to clarify any answers that have been given, as well rewording a question that might have otherwise been misunderstood.

Other forms of qualitative research would be focus groups, field research, and surveys. In conducting this type of research, it is best to have a good sample to help validate your research. Additional research methods would include Quantitative research. Quantitative research is good for figuring out the statistics of how many participants believes they have been dehumanized and discriminated against in the form of sexismobjectification, classicism. It would determine if these discriminatory behaviors exist in religious sects, such as Christianity and Islamic. With any research methods used there is always the possibility of committing a type 1- type 2 error when conducing a qualitative research. It would require hypothesis, which already has been predetermined.

Policy Recommendation
The policy recommendation is to create policies that encourage religions to discuss gender issues along certain guidelines, under the framework of international human rights. Human rights for women in religiously based sect are very important issues that need to be addressed. It needs to be addressed and revisited on local, state, and global levels. As a society, we need to reach out to mainstream media, and newspaper. As a woman in todays society, I would encourage letters, marches, sit-ins, and petitions that would support equal rights to women and young adolescent girls everywhere, where there is injustice. Every woman should be an advocate for basic human rights. It is imperative that we get the word out by any means necessary.

Implementation Source
The first thing that comes to my mind is to go big however, I know that small can be just as effective. Initially I would start with flyers to get the word out. The flyers would describe our mission and the problem. Another way to focus more on the atrocities that have affected women is to encourage rallies at our local colleges and at the state legislative buildings. Different organizations will also be approached to help lobby for a bill that encourages diverse religions to discuss and implement womens rights.  It would be nice to make it a routine requirement at colleges as an internship to advocate for human rights for women. I think this would be a tremendous way to support our mothers, sisters, aunties, and grandmothers, who have to endure centuries of dehumanizing behaviors from their fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, and brothers- in-law. We want to send a message that said, Females are Equal to Males.