Gender Roles In Islam
In Islam, the sexes are considered equal before God in the complementarian sense. The Qur'an says in verse 13 of chapter 49 in the Qu'ran: "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa. Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware." At the same time, Islamic law and practice recognize differences between sexes, resulting in different rights and obligations.
Qur'an instructs believers that they should not treat women as a commodity which can be inherited and used as liked. The context is that in the pre-Islamic era, the wives of a person could be transferred to his heirs like his wealth and animals.
In many Islamic societies, there is a division of roles creating a woman’s space in the private sphere of the home and a man’s in the public sphere. In Islam, a woman's primary responsibility is usually interpreted as fulfilling her role as a wife and mother, whereas a man’s role is to work and be able to financially support his wife and family. However neither the Qu'ran nor the Hadith specifically mention gender roles for women.
According to Sayyid Qutb According to Qutb's analysis, the Quran "gives the man the right of 'guardianship' or 'superiority' over the family structure in order to prevent dissension and friction between the spouses. The equity of this system lies in the fact that God both favoured the man with the necessary qualities and skills for the 'guardianship' and also charged him with the duty to provide for the structure's upkeep."
Read more about Gender Roles In Islam: Family, Gender Roles in Prayer and Worship, Gender Roles Within Marriage, Other Genders
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