Exploring African Symbolism in Evaluating the Status of Women in Christianity and Yoruba Religion

Abstract

Women in Christianity and Yoruba religion are confronted with perplexing issues. One of them, is the question of the role they play in their religious beliefs. As a matter of fact, little to no attention has been paid to the role that women play in their communities. However, the traditional view of women in both religions, have subjugated them and their role to that of men. The objective of this paper, is to shed light on the predicament of women in Christianity and Yoruba religion in trying to gain recognition in various communities and the role they play. The paper explores African symbolism as a lens for evaluating the status of women in Christianity and Yoruba religion. African Religion, Yoruba spirituality inclusive is deeply rooted in symbolism that reflects societal structures, gender roles, and divine representation. It is in view of this, that the study adopts historical and comparative approaches; looking into how women have been treated and limited, in their roles due to gender differentiation. This paper argues that both male and female according to creation, are equal partners and that their roles to each other are that of complementation, in accordance to African symbolism. To this end, the paper concludes that women should be given a veritable chance to display their God given purpose and skills to improve their community. Keywords: Christianity, Yoruba religion, women's status, African symbolism, gender roles