Inter College Debate:
"Religion Adversely Affects Women's Status"

An inter–college debate organized at the Gender Mela saw students from various colleges of Delhi hit the topic 'Religion Adversely Affects the Status of Women'.  The participating colleges were JNU, PGDAV, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jesus and Mary College, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Motilal Nehru College.
A host of students for the motion including Shivani Roy, Bhargavi Das, Chandrashekhar and others brainstormed on different aspects in which religion has been denigrating the status of women in society. Participants deliberated that as viewed across religions, the high posts of priests and cardinals have never been occupied by women. Religion restricts the entry of women in places of worship, and apart from this it impedes women from pursuing education and also contains the rights of property and ownership to women, they added. 
Taking a different stance, participants including Kaushiki, Srikumar, Mehjabi and others speaking against the motion reflected religion is intrinsically not anti-women.  All religions talk about equality and but religion as interpreted through ‘patriarchy’ is the root cause of the secondary status accorded to women. 

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