Happy Woman's Day!

" Of all animate and logical creatures in the world we, women are the most unhappy one. We have to give our goods to buy a husband and have a master on our body."

With the famous monologue of Medea, Euripides wanted to criticize the democratic citizens of classical Athens for the degraded position of women.

Although, many believe that Christianity lowered woman's position, in reality nor in ancient Greece woman had rights. She belonged to the father or the husband, had no right to ownership and spent most of her life at home.

"Christ said that everyone's equal. There's not man or woman. Everyone's equal to Him. Christianity recognized women the right to own property and, in case of divorce, keep custody of the children" explains Dr Marios Begzos, Professor of Comparative History of Religions at the University of Athens.

In Islam things are different. "Feminists in Islam support that Allah's promise of heaven to both faithful men and women shows they're equals" tells me Dr Alexandros Kariotoglou. "The fact though is that in most islamic regions in the world another chapter of Quran is mainly in use. Sura 2:223 says: Your women are your fields, so go into your fields whichever way you like..."

Treated as property is woman in Hinduism, too.

Although in a metaphysical level, deity consists of male and female and both sexes are equal, in Hindu social and ethical texts women often seem to be hierarchically inferior to men.

" In the Laws of Manu, we read: a girl is governed by her father, a married woman by her husband, a widow by her sons" says Dr Apostolos Michaelides. "Even Buddha has been strict towards women" he goes on...

..."In fact, it took three requests by his step- mother and favorite student to allow woman's participation in monasticism. However, the rules which were imposed to them are not only more in number but also stricter than those imposed to men".

Happy Woman's Day!