Women make up approximately half of the global population. This means that half of the stories, half of the life experiences, and half of literally everything that goes on in the world are impacted in some way by a woman. It would only make sense, then, to think of the way in which we live our lives through a lens containing equal points of view regarding the lived experiences of everyone—not just men.
This is especially important when we think within religious contexts. Since the beginning of civilization, religion has been used to justify everything from societal standards to legal rationale. Not only has religion impacted everyday life in nearly all parts of the world, but it does so with a long and complicated history containing the vast majority of a single narrative: one that is portrayed by men.
Now, this can be explained by the reality that, for hundreds and thousands of years, women were treated as second-class citizens in almost every global area—and it has not been until recently that advances have propelled women into (more) equal standing and positions of official leadership. After all, it has only been a century since most American women were given the right to vote; one cannot expect ancient texts of major religions to be as progressive as what many may call “the bare minimum” in gender equity. And that is fair; it would be unwise to neglect historical context in this area. However, it may still be beneficial to analyze the representation of women in religious works, since ideologies drawn from those texts still very much apply to current society.
In the United States especially, Protestant Christianity has widely affected all branches of government and social expectations. Because of its high national relevance, the Bible is a great example to examine the importance of women in regards to one of the main informational sources of the religion itself. An excellent way to test female importance in any sort of medium—books included—is a three-step process known as the Bechdel Test.
For those who are not familiar with it, the Bechdel Test originates from the mid-1980s and is used to evaluate the importance of women in media. Although it is mostly utilized for films, it is in no way exclusive to them and can be applied to virtually any work. The three steps to pass this test are as follows:
1. There must be two named women, who
2. Have a conversation with each other about
3. Anything other than a man.
The next question then becomes: how does the Bible hold up? The short answer is that, well, it passes. The long answer is that it passes by the skin of one’s teeth. After looking at a database that analyzes hundreds of interactions and thousands of names, there are only five stories that pass the test, and three of them could be called under scrutiny since Jesus is a character of the interaction in regard to context. In fact, the only book in the entire Bible that passes the Bechdel Test beyond a reasonable doubt is the book of Ruth. The two interactions that pass are found in Ruth 1:6-22 (“Where you go, I will go”), and Ruth 2:1-23 (which contains a conversation that Ruth and Naomi have about finding food).
Out of the hundreds of stories and the 3,070 named characters in the Bible, the fact that there are only two individuals who have interactions that meet this criteria is abysmal, to say the least. It acts as a comparison of how women are represented and expressed within Biblical narratives, and could be used to study how various historical viewpoints have been shaped by the presence of women, or their absence.
Although well-known and effective, it must be noted that the results of this Bechdel Test should not be regarded as a one-and-done deal in terms of how we view the Bible; rather, it can help us understand that the time and context in which it was written may not—at least in the humanistic aspect of its narratives—be an accurate picture of the individual experience. That is not to say that the Bible is sexist; many religious scholars, SDAs included, dismiss this notion entirely. But simply because narratives are not sexist does not mean other factors of representation cannot also contribute to productive conversation.
Religion has a level of importance not only in spiritual experiences, but in social norms, governmental affairs, and many other aspects of everyday life. Regardless of what our personal worldviews may be, it is by recognizing prominent narratives—or the lack thereof—that we can better be equipped to form educated opinions of our own.
Just make sure that it’s not only half of the story.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.