Essay
Men and Women are Equal but Different. Discuss
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this was written in year 13, achieving an A* grade and discussing gender
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Men and Women are Equal but Different. DiscussThe view that men and women are equal but different can be directly attributed to
Catholicism. This statement is the very notion embedded in the Apostolic Letter Mulieris
Dignitatem. Through evaluating arguments for and against such a narrative, this essay will
corroborate the statement and emphasise how Christian teaching correctly asserts how the
roles of men and women are entirely different, yet they are still equal. Moreover this line of
argument will include a variety of scholarly opinions to both corroborate and challenge this
line of argument.
As outlined at the start of this argument, in Mulieris Dignitatem, John Paul II conveys the
traditional Christian idea that men and women are equal but that they have different roles to
play, thus greatly endorsing the view expressed in the statement. The account stresses that
whilst men and women are different in essence, this difference is intended from the very
beginning of creation. This can be corroborated by the Genesis account of creation which
states ‘In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them’. Such a
quote does not imply inequality between men and women, thus adding strength to the
statement. In order to establish the dignity and uniqueness of women, a lot of the Pope’s
letters look at the example of Mary, who has the unique privilege of nurturing in her womb,
Jesus Christ, who is the Incarnate Lord. The Pope takes from this that motherhood is one of
the special vocations or gifts for women. Women are made by God to nurture and give birth
to others. Although being a father is special, the Pope argues that motherhood is the more
demanding role in a family since the woman has to sacrifice a lot more. Thus, if we were to
say that women’s and men’s roles were identical, the Church is concerned that this will
detract from the special place that motherhood has in the generation of new life. This
argument poses great strength; this Christian view in no way stresses that there is inequality
between men and women, but rather the concept of motherhood renders gender roles to be
different, an entirely justifiable argument. Philosopher Elizabath Badinter challenges this
view however. Badinter asserts that today’s mothers are experiencing a “relapse to times
long past”. The scholar elucidates how motherhood can feel like a prison and traditional
Church teaching can exacerbate this problem. For instance, if the Church continues to
advocate the belief that women are made by God to nurture and give birth to others then it
sends out a restrictive message that if women do not fulfil this vocation they have somehow
failed in their mission given by God. Moreover, it stresses that if women fail to do this then
they are no longer equal to men. Whilst this argument has some basis, Badinter does not
convincingly contend that motherhood is the determinant of equality. Thus, the view that men
and women are equal but different proves to be the more sound line of argument.
A far stronger argument to assert that men and women are not equal, thus directly
challenging the view presented in the statement, is from the Letter of St Paul to the
Ephesians 5:21-33. In this passage, Paul compares the relationship between husband and
wife to the relationship between Christ and the Church; the head of the Church is Christ and
the head of the wife is the husband. This can be corroborated by where he states ‘Wives,
submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord’. The problem is that this
passage seems to promote inequality between the sexes as it puts the husband in charge of
the wife. Mary Daly greatly endorses this line of argument. Daly argues that the treatment of
women in society and in the Church is unfair since women are treated as subordinate or
inferior to men. The scholar elucidates how societies are often patriarchal - men hold most of
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