Forever stuck in the same gender rut

Creation myths influence how the world came to be today.  Is it possible that myths created many years ago still have an impact on the way society works in this day and age?  Although our world and society have evolved tremendously, we may still be stuck with the same perspectives and theories that originally arose.   

Within the discussion this week regarding South and East Asian myths, there were some common themes that stood out.  There was an agreement that many of the myths followed a similar direction on the outlook of the concept of life.  The Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh myths all surround the same concept of birth to life to death to rebirth, with the ultimate outcome being able to escape the unending cycle of rebirth.  The perspective of whether rebirth exists or not differ between people.  One individual pointed out that the social impact of these myths leads people to believe that the one life they have is actually one of many until they can escape the rebirthing cycle.  If an individual is able to escape the rebirth, they will have accomplished the meaning to their life.   

It was agreed that the myths presented this week were quite profound and insightful.  Creation myths provide an understanding of how the world we live in came to be today, as well as how people once saw it.  As an anthropology major, I have seen and read these myths before, but seeing them from a religious perspective added a different light.   

Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth theory was agreed to be the best theory for analysis of the myths this week.  The monomyth “a hero’s journey” quite easily sums up the overall concept of life from these myths, there being a beginning and an end, much like the ultimate goal of the myths.   

A specific myth that I would like to bring up that was discussed and that made an impact on me was the Shinto myth, Origins of the Japanese Islands.  As stated above, creation myths give insight into how the world came to be today.  I found this very true for this myth.  Within this myth, the idea of gender and gender stereotypes was brought up.  This myth essentially states that if a female is in the wrong and is not respecting the male, such as speaking first, there will be no proper outcome to life.  While if the male takes precedence over the female, all will be in order.  The theme of this myth is still very alive in the world today.  The gender roles and gender stereotypes from the myth have clearly influenced how we see gender currently.  While in different parts of the world, gender roles and stereotypes are more or less an issue, though have improved considerably they are still there and thriving.  Having a creation myth that puts females in a place below males has impacted society today. 

An individual in our discussion brought up how Joseph Campbell’s monomyth can be connected to gender as well.  The monomyth is about stages in a hero’s life.  If all the myths in the past are focused around a hero (generally a male) who is in a stronger role, than the women would be the damsel in distress that needs rescuing.  This does not provide a positive representation of women or gender roles or stereotypes.   

To finish off I would like to share a thought of mine.  How different would the world and society be today, specifically regarding gender, if these types of creation myths did not exist or at the very least showed gender equality?  Would we still be a society segregated into two different hierarchical genders? Or would males and females be seen as equal to each other? Will we always be stuck in the same gender rut trying to create equality?  

References

Izanagi And Izanami In Shinto Beliefs And How They Created The World