Breaking gender stereotypesWill the struggle between women and men ever be resolved? Who knows? Men have overshadowed the role of women in society. Women have been denied rights and opportunities in all fields, solely on the basis of gender bias. Although it has been an ongoing dispute, a small number of women over the centuries have managed to overcome the obstacle of male predilection. Religion plays a significant role in this struggle because scholars have accused it of oppressing women. Religious female figures such as Margery Kempe, Catherine Tekakwitha, and Malala Yousafzai were able to break the paradigm of religious oppression of women and replace it with the idea that it is possible for devout women to play a leading role in society by becoming wives , mother and writer, Christian saint, supporter of girls' rights and, therefore, an exemplary woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The role of women in societies has been greatly influenced by Christianity. Early Christian ideals were responsible for “the subordination of women to the adoption of domestic codes inspired by pagan Roman models as well as gradual changes in Church-State relations.” During the first Christian century, the Church exerted enormous oppression on women. Women could not preach or teach. They couldn't write any lyrics. Also due to the movement to exalt virginity, women could not marry. After the edict of tolerance of 313, with the movement of monasticism, women slowly began to acquire more rights. But not quite yet, they were still considered weaker and less rational than men. A 15th century English visionary, Margery Kempe, had to live in these harsh conditions. Despite religious prohibitions for women at the time in Christianity, Margery Kempe was able to overcome these obstacles by demonstrating that women were capable of pursuing diverse occupations. simultaneously, including religious duties. Kempe had fourteen children during her early life, and while she was a mother, she experienced Christ in “mystical encounters as the husband she passionately loved and whose suffering she shared” and became actively involved in the Church. Margery harshly criticized the clergy and supported an alternative Christian order in which gender norms could not limit women's religious lives. Although she was the mother of fourteen children, Kempe made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and later wrote a book that is considered the first autobiography in English and the second book written by a woman. Julia Clarence-Smith could not have better described Margery as an exemplary woman. She said: "Kempe was different because of her status as a wife, mother and layperson." This accurate description by Kempe demonstrates that it is possible to be a woman in her entirety while simultaneously participating in pious duties and defeating religious oppression. Margery, through her actions, was able to elevate the status of women not only in Christianity but also in society and provided a path for women to follow. The main goal of Christianity during the seventeenth century and subsequent centuries was to Christianize individuals throughout the world. The Church sent Jesuits and other groups on missions to several places, such as the Mohawk Nation (now Canada). When the Jesuits arrived in Native American territories, they found themselves in a spiritual culture, where Christianity played no role. The Jesuits, with their mission in mind, began to interact with the Iroquois and slowly introduced Christianity into their lives. Throughhand gestures, the use of objects and sometimes translators, taught the natives Christian values ​​and dragged them to conversion. The main aim of the Jesuits was to convert the natives to Christianity to save more souls. Slowly, the Iroquois began to believe in Christian values ​​and converted to Christianity. The most extraordinary and lasting conversion was that of Catherine Tekakwitha. Native Americans at the time were seen as savages, even though they were Christians. Therefore, they could never achieve the status of saints. Catherine Tekakwitha, after her conversion, lived a completely Christian life and even after her death managed to transcend that standard to become the first native saint. Throughout her life Catherine followed all Christian values ​​and even decided to leave her hometown and move to Kahnawake so she could continue to practice her Christian faith. Devotion to Caterina meant everything. He never strayed from the Christian path. After Catherine's death he began to perform miracles. Her piety in life allowed her to continue her religious path after death. People from all over the world prayed to her, went to visit her grave, collected ashes from her clothes. His teeth were also used to heal people. Catherine helped women relieve the pain of childbirth, have children and other diseases such as eye inflammation. All these miracles forged her path to becoming a saint. Catherine “suddenly became known in the United States, and, with her wagon hitched to the powerful engine of American nationalism, papal recognition began to seem like a real possibility.” Catherine was beatified in 1980 but only became a saint until 2012. Catherine's exemplary Christian life and her miracles after death fueled feelings among Americans and made them become her defenders. By creating such an effect in people, Catherine was able to eradicate the idea that natives were savages and could not be saints and became a female religious symbol for the Christian community. Malala Yousafzai lived in conditions no one would ever want. In 2007, the Taliban entered his life in Pakistan's Swat Valley. They arrived in groups, armed with knives and slowly began to acquire power with the use of brutal force, based on their extremist religious ideology. The Taliban took everything away from Malala and her entire city, their music, their Buddhas and their history. They did not hesitate to be extremely violent. The Taliban killed thousands of innocent people, raided villages, kidnapped women, carried out terrorism and banned basic human rights such as education for girls. In the extremist religious ideology of the Taliban, a girl attending school was completely against Islam. Through the destruction of schools and threats to girls, the Taliban have imposed their ideology throughout the Swat Valley. Malala has always been a bright girl. She began charting her path as an exemplary woman when she decided the time had come to end the Taliban's ban on education. Even though girls' education was considered un-Islamic and Malala lived under that religious oppression, she firmly believed that Islam did not dictate that and that it was time to get rid of that oppression. Malala decided that she would fight and defend the girls. She started advocating for girls' rights when she first attended the shows, during interviews she stated: "they are abusing our religion, how would you accept Islam if I put a gun to your head and say Islam is the true religion?" There.