Comparative Analysis: Religion, Women's Rights, and Canada

This essay examines the complex relationship between religion and women's rights in Canada. It focuses on how Roman Catholicism, Christianity, and Hinduism have responded to women's rights, comparing their perspectives, practices, and influences on the role of women in society. The essay highlights the diverse religious landscape of Canada and the impact of these faiths on social issues. It also contrasts these religious viewpoints with Canada's secular approach to women's rights, analyzing the similarities and differences in their approaches. The essay uses specific examples, references to course materials, and thoughtful evaluations to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic, emphasizing the historical context, cultural influences, and the ongoing evolution of women's roles within these religious communities and in Canadian society. The conclusion summarizes the similarities and differences in the religious and secular responses, offering insights into the ongoing dialogue surrounding women's rights in Canada.

Running head: RELIGION AND WOMEN IN CANADA
RELIGION AND WOMEN IN CANADA
Name of the Student:
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Author Note:

1RELIGION AND WOMEN IN CANADA
Canada is one of the moat diversified countries including people from all language
groups and from all religious backgrounds. The religious base in Canada includes a wide range
and base and includes a number of belief systems. However, the most dominant religious base in
Canada is the Roman Catholics, succeeded by Christians, and there is a huge difference in the
orientation and understanding of the Roman Catholics and the Christians. The practices that
these two groups involve in their personal lives are quite different. However, a large part of the
country also holds a huge number of non- religious population base. Being one of the most
diversified countries, and one of the most progressive countries, Canada has a huge population
strength which does not practice any or does not get involved it any of the religious base, and the
country and the government of the same enables the people to practice the same. A third most
prevailing religious community present in the country is the Hindus, and most of them have
come from different parts of India, during a different times (Burchardt, 2017). The first
generation of Hindus of the country had been form India, during the time of colonization. Many
of the people had to move to the country with the British Columbia. Thereafter, many Punjabis
and Guajaratis have relocated o the country, during different timelines.
It was a similar situation for the Roman Catholics as well, whose first generation had
moved to the country during the tie of colonization. It is the first faith group in Europe and
during the time of colonization, since the churches had played a huge role in the process, many
people had to move and had moved voluntarily with the church group (Burchardt, 2017).
However, all these churches has a huge role in determining the rights and the positions of women
in the society. There are certain constraints still, on the women, practicing the belief of Roman
Catholicism. The women practicing Roman Catholicism are still not permitted to practice any
other education rather than Bible. They still believe that the role of the women, is to work

2RELIGION AND WOMEN IN CANADA
relentlessly for Him and for the betterment of the society (Khan, 2018). They ideologies still
condemn the practices of divorce and infanticide and states that the practice of infidelity is as
sinful for women as it is for men.
However, Christianity or the people believing in the Christian ideologies, have paved the
way for Feminism within the country, and most of the women involved with the feminist
activities are either Christian or Hindu in orientation. They have taken the role of influencing
people and the aboriginals or the natives of the country who had been remaining in the dark and
made them understand about the importance to fight for their rights (Lee, & Woo, 2017). The
Christianity has enabled the women of the country be more vocal and fight for their equal rights.
Hinduism has also enabled its believers to practice equality in their behaviour. Considering the
current scenario of Canada, it is observed that there is one Hindu women, in the law making
division of Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet. This refers to the development of the position of women in
the country and exemplifies that the rights of the women are practiced and restituted by the
religious belief group.

3RELIGION AND WOMEN IN CANADA
References:
Burchardt, M. (2017). Is Religious Indifference Bad for Secularism? Lessons from Canada.
In Religious Indifference (pp. 83-99). Springer, Cham.
Khan, S. (2018). Canadian Women Shaping Diasporic Religious Identities edited by Becky R.
Lee and Terry Tak-Ling Woo.
Lee, B. R., & Woo, T. T. L. (Eds.). (2016). Canadian Women Shaping Diasporic Religious
Identities. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.